Little journal of friends of Montautre - n° 21

Dear friends of the Montautre site,

Every week, more and more of you are subscribing to the " Little Journal of the Friends of Montautre" ! Those who have recently joined us and wish to discover these five years of incredible adventures and this succession of archaeological, historical, and human discoveries can consult the first 18 issues, in French and English, on our website www.chateau-de-montautre.fr ( news section). You can, of course, unsubscribe if you wish to free up your inbox, and/or choose to follow us on Instagram ( https://www.instagram.com/chateaudemontautre/ ) and Facebook ( https://www.facebook.com/serge.lacaze.33/?locale=fr_CA ).

0. News

France has a new historical monument!

The plenary commission of the CRPA (Regional Commission for Heritage and Architecture) of Nouvelle-Aquitaine met on Tuesday, March 25th, to examine the proposal to list the Château de Montautre as a historical monument of our beautiful country. And it was a resounding success! The commission decided to list your favorite château in its entirety (lord's residence, guardhouse, exterior and interior, outbuildings, upper courtyard, lower courtyard, 17th-century terrace), and, most remarkably, this vote was unanimous !

This is therefore a wonderful recognition for all of you who have repeatedly expressed your affection for this truly authentic site and your support for our preservation efforts. It is also, of course, a guarantee that, after our passing, this " emblematic site of the Limousin rural gentry " (as Christian Rémy put it) will continue to be preserved.

Our special thanks go to Claire Gravelat of the DRAC (Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs), who believed in our application from its initial review in 2019, and to Christian Rémy , a castle expert specializing in medieval Limousin history, who delved once again into the eight crates of archives and compiled a particularly compelling dossier that impressed the commission. Thanks also to Hélène Mousset , Nicolas Vedelago , and Marc-Antoine de Sèze, who supported our application with conviction.

As if one piece of good news wasn't enough, the Michelin Green Guide surprised us by including us in its new 2025 Limousin-Berry edition. An inspector visited – incognito – last year, and he must have been very pleased with his visit, judging by the particularly enthusiastic comment accompanying our inclusion:

This great news adds a special flavor to our next three events:

- On Saturday, April 26th at 3 pm , I will be offering another guided tour of the Château de Montautre (€5/person). Please spread the word, but please remember to register by email ( contact@chateau-de-montautre.fr ) due to the 20-person limit. This is a chance to see the first two phases of the restoration completed... before the third phase begins!

- On Saturday, June 7th and Sunday, June 8th , from 10am to 12pm and from 2pm to 4pm , as part of " Rendez-vous aux jardins 2025 ", you can discover the Montautre Arboretum and its 15 different species of North American conifers, as well as the "Chaussée de Brunehaut", the very old tree-lined avenue that led to the Chabannes crossroads (€5/person). A small guide will be provided at the entrance.

On Saturday afternoon, June 14th, the "Dames de Bourganeuf" collective will present a performance of dramatized readings on the theme of the Middle Ages at the castle. Entitled "The Ladies at the Castle: From Stroll to Stroll ," the performance will conclude with a friendly gathering. You can register now by email (€10/person). Places are limited.

1. Medieval period:

During renovations to the barn adjoining the gatehouse, we completed the opening of the 15th-century doorway providing access to the outbuildings and uncovered the beautiful cobbled path that had been hidden under 30 cm of fill. You will notice, on the inside, the wooden lintel clearly visible in the photograph. This construction is characteristic of all the openings at Montautre, with the exception of the lord's residence. As the financial resources of the lower Limousin nobility were limited, the window and door frames and lintels only feature dressed granite blocks on the facade. They are reinforced, sometimes even tripled, within the thickness of the wall by wooden lintels to ensure their function.

3. Classical period

The restoration of the chapel is complete (frescoes, floor, sacristy in particular) and we now light candles during guided tours to ensure a true immersion in the 18th century!

3. Modern Era

The renovation work on the medieval barn has led us to restore the only two remaining headlocks out of the original four. Headlocks, found on all Limousin farms, are wooden structures through which animals would put their heads to reach the attached troughs. They served to separate and restrict their movements so they could eat together peacefully. Here are photos of the restoration of the first headlock:

4. Conclusion

We were honored to be featured in a beautiful 4-minute report on the France 3 Limousin 7 PM news . Don't hesitate to read it and/or watch it again if you haven't seen it! The text and video are available at the following link: https://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/nouvelle-aquitaine/haute-vienne/limoges/lettres-du-roi-passages-secrets-et-coffre-funeraire-gallo-romain-on-vous-presente-le-chateau-de-montautre-et-ses-6000-ans-d-histoire-3124735.html

Dear friends of Montautre , thank you more than ever for your unwavering support from the very beginning: the recent recognition (national historical monument status and inclusion in the regional Green Guide) demonstrates that, even before these well-established institutions, you recognized the site's potential and the need to preserve it. Well done and thank you!

Don't forget that you are welcome in Montautre: when you pass nearby, give us a sign, or Kitty and Adri who continue to maintain this site that we love so much.

See you soon !

Kind regards

Serge