Little journal of friends of Montautre - n° 20

Dear friends of the Montautre site,

Spring is just around the corner! This twentieth issue of the " Friends of Montautre's Little Journal " will keep you informed about the events planned for this spring, as well as the latest historical and archaeological developments. If you wish to unsubscribe, please don't hesitate to ask (you can also find the first 15 issues of the "Little Journal" on our website www.chateau-de-montautre.fr , under the news/blog section).

Is this the price of success and our 20,000 subscribers? The castle's Instagram account and my LinkedIn account have been hacked, so the only way to follow the castle's news more closely than this little newsletter is through my Facebook account (under the name Serge Lacaze).

0. News

Several activities are planned for the start of this season:

- First, the guided tours will resume, led by me, on Saturday, March 15th and Sunday, March 16th at 3 pm (duration 1 hour 30 minutes). Registration by email is still required, as we are limiting groups to 20 people and we expect many of you to want to appreciate the restorations: the frescoes and floor of the chapel, the turret, the sacristy, the gate of the High Court, the ceiling and stained glass windows of the guardroom... As you are our ambassadors, please encourage your friends and family to come and (re)discover the castle... or even better, to come back yourself and assess the quality of the work you helped to achieve!

- Next, we are rescheduling our Escape Game "Prisoners at Montautre Castle" for Saturday, April 5th and Sunday, April 6th (details attached) . For more information and registration, please call Emilie at 06 19 14 08 04

Finally, on Saturday afternoon, June 14th, the Ladies of Bourganeuf will present a performance of dramatized readings on the theme of the Middle Ages at the castle, followed by a friendly gathering. You can register now by email (€10/person). Places are limited.

1. Gallo-Roman period:

A very pleasant meeting with Jean-Michel Desbordes , former Director of Antiquities for the Limousin region, who agreed to examine the Montautre site. The geodetic analysis he requested (see image below) confirms that the castle (represented by the square) is built against a steep valley, and that its communication axis is oriented towards the southwest (do not take into account the Paris-Toulouse railway line in the upper left: it did not exist at the time!).

These elements led Jean-Michel Desbordes , whom I warmly thank, to the following comments:

"The site of Montautre castle exhibits all the characteristics of a Gallo-Roman agricultural estate center, that is to say, a villa. We can indeed identify the following elements:

1/ The castle is located at the lower joint of a plateau, immediately before a steep slope overlooking a valley.

2/ The site features a granite substrate that is almost at the surface (note, for example, that the castle cellar is largely excavated into the rock)

3/ The orientation of the estate and its arable land is along a southwest axis.

These characteristics are not due to chance: the Gallo-Roman estates were indeed located on gentle slopes at the edge of the plateau, because the bedrock was close to the surface, the soil was unsuitable for cultivation and allowed for solid foundations. Furthermore, the south/southeast/southwest orientation provided better sunlight during the winter months, the choice of a southwest orientation being typical of the 3rd century AD.

These site-specific findings, along with numerous ancient remains discovered on the site, strongly suggest the presence of a Gallo-Roman villa at Montautre. Therefore, it is reasonable to consider focusing surveys and excavations on the immediate vicinity of the castle.

The probable presence of this villa does not contradict in any way - quite the contrary - the existence nearby of a Temple dedicated to Mercury: after the first excavation campaign which took place last summer at the highest point of the estate (marked by the small circle on the map), a second operation will resume a little further south, in line with the latest information collected.

2. Medieval period:

The sacristy, in the turret adjoining the chapel, has regained both its original terracotta tile floor and its ceiling. Even though the second floor is no longer in use, the beautiful restoration of the 15th-century timber frame is evident in the opening in the sacristy's wooden ceiling.

3. Renaissance Period:

The medieval tradition of paying homage to the overlord continued into the Renaissance, and although the chivalric ceremony was less prominent, the main objective was to provide a "confession and enumeration"... which is nothing other than today's property declaration!

Based on the parchment constituting the declaration and inventory submitted to the Baron of Fromental on August 30, 1596 , we organized, with our friend and expert Michael Thoury , two introductory workshops in paleography (parchment transcription), both of which were fully booked (45 people). The document to be deciphered contains a description of the castle with its moat, drawbridge, four corner towers, keep, and the accompanying hydraulic system. The level of the exercise was quite high, but, thanks to Michael 's guidance, the participants made good progress in this challenging task: well done to them!

3. Classical period

The restoration of the frescoes (which obviously had to be done after the chapel wall had been consolidated) was carried out around New Year's. Hélène Trumeau , our restorer (who also restored the frescoes in the Palace of the Popes in Avignon), was thus able to consolidate and restore the Mondin (left) and Chamborand (right, before/after) medallions, created in 1716 after the marriage of François Mondin de Montautre to Marie-Anne de Chamborand . These medallions were framed by panels (made of wood?) which have unfortunately disappeared. They most likely depicted the coats of arms of the two families.

4. Outlook 2025

On Tuesday, February 18th, the CRPA's standing committee—an advisory body—voted unanimously to add Montautre to the supplementary inventory of Historical Monuments . Please note that only the CRPA standing committee, under the authority of the regional prefect, has the power to make this decision and can certainly overrule the first committee's vote: it will meet on March 25th. We will keep you informed!

Furthermore, please note that we will soon be closing the public fundraising campaign conducted with the Heritage Foundation . It was cited as an excellent example of fundraising in the interview that Benoit Sadry , the Foundation's representative for Haute-Vienne, gave to Le Populaire du Centre on December 22nd (see attached article)... and most importantly, you can still contribute before it closes on March 1st, 2025! Don't hesitate ( https://www.fondation-patrimoine.org/les-projets/lacaze-montautre-2021-fromental/78692 )!

Thank you for your loyalty. And thank you for your comments, dear friends of Montautre , and thank you more than ever for your support. You are most welcome in Montautre: when you are passing by, give us a shout, or let Kitty and Adri know, as they continue to maintain this site that we love so much and which, we hope, will soon be officially included in the inventory of our country's heritage.

See you soon !

Kind regards

Serge