|
|
19th century Castle in historic Cathar region |
|
|
The Château provides an ideal base for self catering and bed and breakfast holidays, allowing you to explore and uncover the history of the area. Ventenac is a delightfully peaceful and friendly village with just over 500 inhabitants, perfectly located for exploring the Languedoc region. In the village itself we have two restaurants (one of which is closed during the winter) offering a wide choice of menus and informal dining, as well as a mobile bakery which is open every morning. In nearby villages there are other restaurants, plus supermarkets, bakers, general stores, tabacs, cafés and bars. The original castle at Ventenac dated back to the twelfth century, when it was captured by Simon de Montfort in the Albigensian crusade against the Cathars. Little or nothing remains of that original building, and although parts of the present Château date back 300 years, most of it was built in the 19th century. In 1880, working with a group of craftsmen known as Les Compagnons de France, Mme Seguy Saint Siran built the four-storey Château, together with the magnificent Caveau, a turreted 'cathedral to wine', which rises higher than anything else in the village. The initials of Mme Saint Siran can be seen carved into the archway that forms the imposing rear entrance to the Château. In 1938 the Caveau was taken over by the local winegrowers, who formed a cave co-opérative to make and sell wines using grapes from the rich vineyards around the village. The co-operative still makes wine, winning prizes for its rich reds and (unusually for the region) its characterful white. When the Caveau was taken over by the co-operative, the Chateau itself was divided into six smaller homes and one large family house. It is this family house that forms the present-day Château Ventenac, which has now been sympathetically restored to combine the luxuries of modern life with the charm and style of a bygone age. The pure sandy beaches of the Mediterranean Sea are about 40 minutes’ drive away, with a choice of family resorts such as Narbonne Plage and Gruisson, with its unusual chalets supported on stilts. From the house you can see the hills of the Corbières range, with the Pyrenees behind them - a couple of hours away by car. The famous medieval city of Carcassonne is 35km away, while the Cathar village of Minerve, which lends its name to our Minervois wine, is even closer. Our biggest local city is Narbonne, which was established as a regional capital by the Romans. |
