Chateau du Donjon”, once the property of the monks of the abbey of Caunes, has been family property since the 15th century.

It takes its name from the ancient chateau of Bagnoles and from its picturesque 13th century donjon (keep) that shoots up in the middle of the cellar.

The oldest property deed is an amusing document which refers to a dam built on the river next to a place called “La Galinière”. That year, the dam had been carried away when the Clamoux (a small stream that descends from Nore peak, the summit of the Montaigne Noire (Black Mountain) which forms the southerly most foothills of the Cévènes mountains).

The inhabitants of the village helped the owner to rebuild. The owner, as an expression of gratitude, gave the villagers the right to use the water for their gardens.

This right, which was written down and notarized, began at noon on Saturday and ended Monday morning at dawn! The rest of the time, the water was reserved for the mill (which still exists, although it has not worked for a very long time!).

Located in the south-east part of the Minervois region, separated from the central Minervois by a series of hills whose slopes form the “balcons de l’Aude”. These heights serve as a screen which temper not only the influences of the Mediterranean, but also those of the Atlantic, which lose their characteristic humidity. It is the end of an area which begins at the outskirts of Naurouze.

Showing the single result