Well we have now been in South
West France for 6 months and I have often been asked the question: What do you do in retirement? or What
do you do with your time?
No doubt, the first 6 months have
been taken up with getting the house into shape as we would like it, but there
has still been plenty of free time for us to do other things. One of the major
reasons we chose this area was the great history of the area, which is quite different
to what you find in Australia, albeit also quite interesting.
The Gironde and the Dordogne departments
in Aquitaine are full of great medieval history, with much of the Gironde having
been under English rule more than French. In the 12th and 13th
centuries France was only a small geographic part of what the country is today.
Indeed, it basically comprised of the Isle
de France (Paris), Burgundy and parts of Normandy. The South was very much independent
and much more closely related to Spain and Italy. Even today there is a
movement to recognise Occitania as it was
known……no so much politically but historically. Occitania comprised of what is
known as Languedoc –Roussillon, Provence
and parts of Aquitaine. It was a very wealthy and far more advanced area
than Paris itself. Over the centuries and as a result in part of the only crusade on western European soil, the
south was overcome by the French and absorbed into the France of today.
Much of the Gironde (or Gascony
as it was known in those days) was the setting for the Hundred Years War waged between the English and the French
between 1337 and 1453 and indeed the last battle of this war was fought at Castillon La Bataille, a town some 15
minutes from where we now live. This war became particularly well known for the
role played by Joan of Arc in the
french resurgence in 1428.
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| Map of Aquitaine |
As a consequence of the constant
threats of attack, both sides built defensive towns in their respective
regions. Generally these towns were known as bastides which were walled towns built around a grid like township
with a central square and of course a church. During periods of fighting, local
farmers and their families could seek the defensive comforts of these walled
towns. Many if not most of these towns were built on hill tops to give them the
advantage of being able to see their enemy’s approach early enough to prepare
for any attack. In those days attack was often quite different, with most
offensives being a siege of the town,
which could last from a few days to many months in some cases.
So after providing a little bit
of the medieval history of the area, I should explain that many of these
bastide towns still survive today, although not always in pristine condition or
the way they were in medieval times. Our own town of Sainte Foy la Grande is a
bastide that was established in 1255 by the English and parts of the old town
still survive, but most has been lost to time.
As a result, we have plenty of
towns to visit and research and many within a 30 -45 minute drive from our
home. The towns of Duras, Sauveterre de Guyenne, Issigeac, Monpazier,
Monflanquin, Villereal, Eymet, Monségur, Rauzan, and La Reole are worthy of
some research on the internet. Indeed a little further away are towns such as Castelnaud and Beynac which face each other on either side of the Dordogne River and no more than 2 kms apart. Castelnaud
was English supporting while Beynac was on the french side.
Did you realise that Richard the Lionheart spent most of his
life in Aquitaine and in reality, very little in England. Both Richard and his
mother Eleanor of Aquitaine (see the
movie The Lion in Winter) are
entombed in Fontevraud Abbey near
Chinon in the Loire Valley
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| Beynac Castle |
We take great pleasure from
visiting all of these sites and researching their respective histories and
taking many photos. No doubt, we will eventually run out of towns or interest,
but there is enough to keep us going for a couple of years yet and we have not
even mentioned other wonders in the area.
So today we will take a quick look
at one of the closest bastides to our town, that of Duras.
Originally built during the 12th
Century, the Castle was turned into an impregnable fortress in the early 14th
Century by Bertrand de Got the then owner. He was the nephew and namesake of
Pope Clement V who gave his support to the work.
The Durfort family acquired the
Castle before the start of the Hundred Years War (1337-1453) during which time
it was under the control of first, the Duke of Aquitaine, King Henry II of
England, and then the French King, Louis VII the younger.
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| Chateau du Duras |
Envied by many noble families,
Duras (the Durfort family), was granted the status of a Duchy at the end of the
17th Century. The Castle slowly became a superb country mansion, rather than a
fortress with stables, formal gardens, and a huge reception area, the Hall of
the “Three Marshals”, and enjoyed all the pomp and circumstance of the Age of
Enlightenment.
It was partially destroyed and
plundered during the French Revolution (1798) and fell into disrepair. The
village people eventually bought the ruins at a public auction in the 1960’s.
It is now a jewel in the cultural
heritage crown of Aquitaine and a very popular tourist attraction which awaits
your personal “conquest”!
Today, the chateau is being
restored and many rooms have been restored to their heyday. Daily visits of the
chateau and the rooms are available and we would be delighted to show guests
some of the history.
The chateau is architecturally
quite different from the often promoted chateau of the Loire valley, but then
again it is considerably older and built with a different purpose in mind.
Duras is also well known locally
for its fine wines Cote du Duras white
and red wines and also for its orchards of plum and other fruit.
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| The Hall of the three Dukes |
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| The town of Duras |
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