The area now known as ‘Roussillon’ can be traced back to Ruscino, which used to be the chief town of the region during the Roman conquest in the 2nd century BC. . The first written mention of Perpignan is found in a bill of sale in 927 : “villa Perpiniano”. In 1172 it was bequeathed to the Realm of Aragon and the town became the capital of the Realm of Majorca (1276-1344). At this time, work started on the construction of the Palace of the Majorcan Kings and the cathedral dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. 
The Castillet was built in 1368, during improvements to the fortifications of the town. In spite of all this, Perpignan fell under the yoke of the French in 1463 but then 12 years later following a prolonged siege, Perpignan was recaptured and given the name of “Faithful Town” – Fidelíssima Vila de Perpinyà. In 1659 Louis XIV signed the Treaty of the Pyrenees and the Roussillon, including Perpignan, was finally annexed to France once and for all. Perpignan – with many remarkable buildings and a wide variety of architecture – was awarded the title of “Heritage of the 20^th century” in 2015.