Today, for Thursday Doors I thought we would visit some little villages in France!
To discover remarkable architecture some times you must get way off the beaten track…. trekking to the village of La Rochepot, France (population less than 200) ……….definitely my kind of place……the smaller the better…. we came here in 2006, to see the fortress/chateau.
Château de La Rochepot is a rocky peak fortress, built by Regnier Pot in the 15th century. Pot was a crusader, Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece, master of the court of Phillip II the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. In later years the castle was passed to the Montmorency family and Cardinal Retz.
After the French Revolution, the castle was re-named the Château de la Roche Fidèle (Castle of the Faithful Mountain) It was declared national property and the new owner demolished many parts of the castle. He sold it off, stone by stone………It could have fallen into complete demise, but in 1893, Madame Carnot, the wife of Sadi Carnot, the President of France (1887-1894) bought the ruins and offered it as a gift to her son, Colonel Sadi Carnot. He restored it according to the original style of the 15th century!
It took more than 25 years to realize his ambitious goal. The reconstruction was based on data from archives, and archaeological excavations in order to comply to full historical authenticity………600 hundred people from near and far were involved with the construction work. Death came to the vineyards from the epidemic of phylloxera, however the Château became world famous due to its uniqueness, elegance and history!
I will just show the outside photos today, but the inside was fabulous as well! The shiny tiles on that roof are painted in a special paint to make them look like copper!
Sadly………. A further note: Château de la Rochepot went up for sale by the Carnot family in 2015…..much to the dismay of the villagers, who all played a part in either the ancestry or work at the Chateau. It was hoped to be sold to a family that would maintain the historical background and elegance…..It was listed as perfect for a winery, as it is along the French Wine Trail………although it is not on the main roads of that Trail……nor is there a vineyard there now…. One must be wanting to find this place and get off the main roads and explore!
A further update about the Château de la Rochepot……….it was sold in 2018 for 3 million euro to a family from the Ukraine or Lithuania…..they did not want their nationality identified. They intend to live there part of the year and keep it open as a historical monument, as it has been …..that is all the info I could update you with….my research also finds that 75% of French castles and prestigious residences (and probably this is true in other countries as well) are bought by wealthy foreigners…..
Further research reveals; the Château de la Rochepot was closed in 2020, due to a judicial investigation! Oh my goodness, I wonder what that was about?
Movin’ on to another village……
I hope you have enjoyed my Doors today!
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Yes thanks I did enjoy the visit
Those villages are just divine
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Despite the wonderful doors, it was the Rocheport roofs that my eye was drawn to – love those Bourgogne style many-coloured tiles. Great post!
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oh this is such a fabulous post. Glorious part of France, and how intriguing about the investigation.
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I have a feeling that since the WORLD SHUT DOWN in 2020 that either the owners were unable to get to France to enjoy their Chateau and/or no revenue was brought in and payments were not made or taxes not paid………something has gone wrong for sure!
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I love your French villages. Always make me think we should have made the effort 🙂 🙂
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We have a wealth of gorgeous and/or interesting doors in France
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I was scrolling through these, and thought the second one looked like Seguret, and sure enough, it was!!
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I’m admiring the photograph of Requewihr…. The flower pots seem to be wrapped in something. Like a cloth material or such….
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Pádraig, those are grape vines and they wrap them in burlap……..In the US some of our trees come this way from the nurseries too. I don’t know if they take the burlap off before planting or not. On some trees we do and others not. I think the burlap keeps the roots from drying out……Cady
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Yes, it does. Trees are shipped that way, too, and usually are planted with the burlap snipped here and there to loosen it. Then the whole wrapped bundle is placed in the prepared planting hole and thoroughly watered, eventually to be covered in soil, watered again, and mulched. (No, I didn’t do any of that; I just watched the landscapers do that when we moved to a treeless lot some 45 years ago.)
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I love these little villages and especially your featured shot 🙂 The chateau looks lovely too – what a shame it seems to be going through some traumatic times (but then, aren’t we all?!)
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Beautiful, the little towns look like places that belong in fairy tales.
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I’m so glad you were willing to get off the main road, and take us along with you. I gave up trying to pick a favorite, as there are so many beautiful ones in this post. I love the castle and the story. I hope it has a happy ending. I also really like the blue building with the well and flowers out front. That is a very nice photo for spring.
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What a fabulous post, the photographs are wonderful. Thanks for the historical information, too. I really enjoyed this.
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That looks a wonderful place to visit.
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Something tells me you will be keeping tabs on the latest with that castle. I would definitely be interested. 🙂
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Gorgeous doors that make me miss my yearly trip to France even more. Although not doors, those Burgundian roofs are fantastic!
janet
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Those are awesome doors. Great finds.
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Thanks for all the beautiful doors and the history. Gorgeous!!
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Lovely post, and my, the photos of the villages and chateau are just amazing! I love he vibrant colours of the buildings. Thank you for a lovely post.
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