This consisted of a small castle and the original fortified village; it was built right at the top of Cucugnan’s little hill, above the present village.
As early as 1140 Berenger of Peyrepertuse paid homage to the Count of Barcelona for the “forteda de Cucuniano”, a few houses huddled for protection around the little fortress. From the feudal period there remain some traces of a building, and of a cistern encircled by the walls of the former castle. On the other side, the village was defended by a precipitous cliff. In the fifteenth century it was completely destroyed by the Spaniards. The new Cucugnan was built further down the hill, below the medieval ruins.