Little journal of friends of Montautre - n°18

Dear friends of the Montautre site,

Here is already the eighteenth issue of the " Petit journal des amis de Montautre ". If you are bothered, do not hesitate to ask to be unsubscribed, because you can also discover the "petit journal" on our website www.chateau-de-montautre.fr , news/blog section. However, we are a little late in publishing on the site, and only the first 13 issues appear there: the freshness of the information therefore remains the prerogative of our subscribers!

0. News

The most immediate news is the preparation of the guided tours of the Heritage Days . With the help of our learned and passionate friend Joël Leroy , we are organizing, like last year, guided tours on Saturday, September 21 and Sunday, September 22 at 3 p.m. There are still quite a few places available, so don't hesitate to let those around you know (but registration by email is mandatory , either by return email or at contact@chateau-de-montautre.fr , because the size of the groups is limited). This same weekend of September 21 and 22, the commune of Fromental is organizing a beautiful Heritage Festival marking in particular the 400th anniversary of the castle of Fromental, whose owner, the Baron of Fromental , was the direct overlord of the Lord of Montautre: a rare event over 2 days. Don't ask yourself which event to participate in: come to both!

1. Archaeological research:

With the support of the DRAC ( Fabien Loubignac and Hélène Mousset ) and the active participation of the expert Jean-Pierre Loustaud , our 3 young Masters in archaeology, Anne-Claire Leleu , Margaux Ranty and Timothée Casanova, already familiar with the Montautre site, voluntarily carried out 15 days of surveys, an essential preliminary step before more substantial excavations. After removing plant tissue with a small mechanical shovel, then fine cleaning with a brush, the research revealed the geological soil, and the first discoveries followed one after the other: pottery, a fragment of a metal staple perfectly consistent with the cut stone found on site, and above all a very beautiful protohistoric jewel (see photos).

The dating of all these objects remains to be studied. The hypotheses formulated at this stage obviously need to be confirmed. We have not found any foundations of the famous "Temple of Mercury" that oral tradition places in the arboretum of the Montautre estate. This is only a postponement, with a probably more comprehensive approach thanks to the help of ground penetrating radar in order to more effectively locate the presence of ancient substructures.

2. Medieval architecture

The turret and chapel are saved! The masonry restorations are complete, and the finishing work, interrupted by the summer break, will soon resume. The work was substantial, but the result lives up to our expectations: the north wing of the guards' quarters, which had stood for 600 years with earth mortar, should be set to last at least 1,000 years thanks to a traditional lime mortar!

What new visitors particularly appreciate is both that the turret has kept its ogival shape so characteristic of Montautre, but also that it has found a magnificent roof, in Travassac slate, studded and scrambled, surmounted by its ridge spike with the coat of arms of the Mondin de Montautre (fess gules and 3 stars of the same, two at the top, one at the bottom):

Thank you for your loyalty and your comments upon returning this little letter, dear friends of Montautre, some of you subscribers for more than 5 years. Thank you more than ever for your support, and be assured of a welcome in Montautre when you pass by. Give us a shout, or let Kitty and Adri know, who continue to maintain this site that we love so much.

See you soon !

Kind regards

Serge