Dear friends of Montautre,
Here is the eleventh issue of the "Petit journal des amis de Montautre", a great adventure that began 4 years ago now and which more and more of you are supporting. If you would like to relive the exciting adventure of the first 10 issues of the "petit journal des amis de Montautre" published for 4 years, they are accessible on our website (news/blog section), but we will be delighted to send them to you by email on simple request. Thank you all for your expressions of interest and support, but do not hesitate to ask to be removed from the mailing list if necessary.
For 2 months, you can also follow the news in images and more closely on our Instagram account chateaudemontautre or Facebook serge lacaze !
0. News
Recent news on the site has been marked by the great success of the guided tours in April (we have now had more than 400 visitors since the opening last September) and the end of the restoration of the portail of the entrance gate. Below you will find the before/after and front/back photos: it's up to you to judge the quality of the restoration carried out by the carpentry team of Cédric Fort from Blanchon , notably Jérôme and Jérémie. And above all, we can now open not only the two small doors, but also the large leaves for... special occasions! The Heritage Foundation will soon come to assess the quality of the work and (we hope) confirm the obtaining of our first label.
We also had the great pleasure and honor of welcoming Jean-Pierre Loustaud to Montautre, thanks to Joëlle Beylier. Jean-Pierre is president of the Archéologie en Limousin association and publishing director of the magazine Travaux d’Archéologie Limousine. We see him in the photo below confirming that this stone (spotted by Fabien Loubignac of the DRAC) is a stone of small Gallo-Roman device...
... and he identified several others on the archaeological site! He also strongly encourages us to undertake excavations to deepen our understanding of the organization of the places in the Gallo-Roman period but points out to us that the positioning of the remains on a high point more probably indicates the presence of a temple than of a temple. a villa.
Finally, the month of April saw the start of the B&B activity with around ten couples or families who were happy to stop off or even relax for several days in Montautre. With average ratings of 5/5 (Google and Airbnb) and 9.6/10 (Booking) as well as very positive comments, we can say that our first customers are happy, whatever the booking channel.
1. Gallo-Roman history
Our friend Jacques Swinckels, brother-in-law of Kitty and Adri and great friend of Montautre, proposed a reconstruction of what could have been the (possible) temple of Mercury based on the analysis of the archaeological site and Gallo-Roman standards found on the internet. Please note, this remains an artist's view, and in no way prejudges what scientists will discover when the excavations begin.
As you can see, the Gallic and Gallo-Roman dynamic is in full swing: therefore, we are going to organize our first major event at the castle on this theme, namely a Gallic afternoon on Saturday July 29 "by Toutatis, the Gauls are in Montautre!" After a Gallic banquet limited to around thirty people, you will be able, in larger numbers, to discover workshops crafts reconstituted by the Gauls of Esse (www.gaulois-esse.fr), benefit from a guided tour of the Gallo-Roman remains present on the Montautre site, and attend a conference by Jean-Pierre Loustaud, a great specialist of the period and who presided over numerous excavations in Haute-Vienne Dept. Registration for the banquet and/or afternoon activities is essential. You can now notify yourself by return email if you are interested.
2. Classic period
Thanks to Anne Leroy-Dubief, the Château de Montautre found a tapestry from Felletin (second photo) similar to the tapestry which had been present at the château since the 18th century (first photo, recognizable by its coats of arms Mondin de Montautre and Bony de Lavergne, counts of Ladignac, allied by the marriage of Marie Mondin in 1735): we placed it back in the living room in its original place, on the west wall!
As the news section was richer than usual, we conclude our eleventh little journal here... but there are still many discoveries in store for the next "little journal" !
In the meantime, don't hesitate to let us know if you pass nearby or to share the interest of this little-known area with your loved ones. We will be pleased to welcome you all to this site so well maintained by Kitty and Adri. See you soon!
Friendly regards
Serge