Le Caunil is a hamlet in the Aude department of the Occitanie region in France. It forms part of the commune of Salvezines.
Le Caunil is situated at 850 metres above sea level, on the slopes of the Pyrenees above Salvezines and a few kilometres south-west of Château de Puilaurens, one of the famous Cathar castles dotting the region. The hamlet lies beneath a set of craggy cliffs and a forested plateau, and is a point of departure for the Forêt d'en Malo[1] hiking trail.
Le Caunil has a small church as well as a school that is no longer in use.
The area between Le Caunil and Salvezines has significant deposits of feldspar,[2] a raw material used in the ceramic industry, which has previously been mined from open quarries.
In the 10th century, the church in Le Caunil was under the authority of the nearby Abbey of Saint-Martin-Lys.[3]
In 2021, the Municipality of Salvezines (including Le Caunil) had a population of 70.[4] There are several artisans with workshops in Le Caunil and the surrounding area.