Fifty kilometres to the south-east of Carcassonne, the village of Arques, surrounded by many forests, nestles in a green valley watered by the Réalsès stream. The castle rises on an isolated hillock, a few hundred metres from the western side of the village.
         The castle was mentioned for the first time in 1011, but the original lords of Arques were dispossessed in the 12th century in favour of the powerful family of Termes.
       During the Crusade against the Albigensians, Béranger d'Arques, descendant of the despoiled family, was one of the comrades of Guillaume de Peyrepertuse.
        In 1217, Simon de Montfort, chief of the Crusaders, apparently took and burned the castle and the village. Then, in 1231, he gave the lands of Arques to his lieutenant, Pierre de Voisins. In 1265, this new lord of Arques made a terrible impression by condemning a 60-year-old woman, accused of witchcraft, to be burned alive in the village.
         At the end of the 13th century, his son, Gilles de Voisins, rebuilt the town as a bastide (planned town) and started the construction of the present castle. His own son, Gilles II, finished the construction in 1316.
        During the 16th century, Arques was passed into the hands of the de Joyeuse family, but their principal residence was the castle of Couiza. Then, in 1575, the Protestants besieged the castle but were thwarted at the keep.
      The castle was sold as national property during the French Revolution and sustained some damage. It was listed as an Historical Monument in 1887.