Tour de Batère, Medieval watchtower in Corsavy, France

The Tour de Batère is a circular signal tower of rough grey, brown and tan stone, standing on a rocky hill on the crest between Corsavy and Saint-Marsal in the Pyrénées-Orientales, at 1,439 m. Its walls, about 3 m thick, enclose a room 4.5 m across; the upper part is broken away on one side and the top edge is uneven. The entrance door sits about 3 m above the ground, reached by a ladder, with a second stair inside the wall leading to the upper floor.

Built around 1340 during the Kingdom of Majorca period, the tower served as a strategic communication point against potential threats from the Kingdom of Aragon. Its mountain location made it crucial to the defensive strategy of the region.

The tower formed part of a network of signal towers that transmitted messages using fire at night and smoke signals during daylight. This communication system allowed information to travel quickly across the mountain ridges.

Access is via the D43 from Corsavy to the Coll de la Descarga, just before the Vetera refuge, then a track for a few hundred metres. A track also comes from Vallmanya, La Bastide or Saint Marsal in the Conflent. The entrance door sits about 3 metres up, reached by a ladder from the foot of the tower.

The structure contained an internal water cistern and a fireplace, showing advanced design features for a medieval military installation. These practical elements allowed longer garrison stays and faster signaling without needing to leave the site.