CHÂTEAU SAINT MICHEL DE LANES
Historic Manor Bed & Breakfast in Languedoc
The Chateau du Saint Michael du Lanes is proud of the legends of its
past. In fact the four bedrooms of this bed & breakfast in an historic
French chateau hotel in the Lauragais countryside province of the Languedoc
region between Toulouse and Carcassonne names four of its restored elegant
bedrooms after some of the legendary figures who have visited the mansion
in its heyday. The modest chateau of pale stone with its gray slate roof
set in a quiet leafy green park, adorned with sculptures of woodland
fawns, fireplaces of Italian marble, parquet floors, and gold leaf embossed
ceilings is far from the turbulent times of this fascinating and beautiful
part of south France.
The Chateau St Michel de Lanes is
family operated by the Vicomte and Vicomtesse de la Panouse, or more
perhaps more casually, Vincent and
Alix. The house and lands which date back to King Henry IV (see Nogent-Sur-Seine)
was first a “gentleman’s manor” in the 16th Century
and later rebuilt in its current form in the late 18th Century as a chateau
during the reign of Louis XVI. It has been in the extended family for
two centuries with the current owners acquiring it from cousins in 1995,
and lovingly restored to warm and comfortable accommodation in its elegant
surrounding for an overnight stay or weekend break.
The de la Panouse family is closely connected to the turbulent history
of the region. The medieval city of Carcassone and surrounding towns
of Languedoc were ravaged by the Albigensian crusades of the Cathar inquisitions
of the 13th Century and the persecution of the French Protestant Huguenots
in the religious wars of the 17th Century. Jean the First la Panouse
de Loupiac was named Seneschal of Carcassone by named King Charles VI
in the 15th Century. Catherine de Médici, daughter of Lorenzo
de Medici, the Italian born Countess of Lauragais who married the Duke
of Orleans and became queen of France legendarily left her mark on the
chateau with the Renaissance relief sculptures on its façade,
like the goddess Athena above the windows, perhaps modeled on the formidable
lady herself, and the master bedroom is named for her. Other rooms are
named for famed visitors to the house, the Baroness de Aiceline, the
poet Bertrand de Born and the "Dame Troubadour" Béatrix
de Die.
The
family and the house also have connections to the American Revolution.
Comte Alexandre Cesar de La Panouse was a captain during the War for
Independence and member of the Order of Cincinnatus, the organization
formed by Henry Knox and named for the Roman General who defeated the
enemies of Rome then returned to his farm rather than seizing power,
the ultimate ideal of a civil government for which the new republic hoped.
And the chateau is only five minutes from the Canal du Midi, the world’s
oldest existing transportation canal, named a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The canal which runs from Toulouse to Bezier and combined with the Garonne
connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Mediterranean. The region was explored
and studied by Thomas Jefferson while Ambassador to France, with
the engineering marvel inspiring America’s version, the Erie Canal.
The
Chateau Saint Michel de Lanes is an ideal off the beaten path location
for exploring the Languedoc-Roussillon region with its rich
history, visiting Carcassone, strolls or bicycling along the canal, and
an hour away from the Pyrenees Mountains and the beaches of the Mediterranean.
Or just walks into the historic medieval village of St Michel de Lanes
with its ancient church and 10th Century Occitan Cross. The four
bedrooms range from €130 to €165 and can be booked
online. © Bargain
Travel Europe
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Chateau
Saint Michel
These articles are copyrighted and the sole property of Bargain Travel Europe and WLPV, LLC. and may not be copied or reprinted without permission. Photos courtesy Chateau St Michel.
See Also:
LESLIE CARON'S OWL'S NEST ROMANTIC AUBERGE
LE MAS DU LUBERON HOTEL PROVENCE
AU COEUR DE MEGEVE HOTEL - RHONE ALPS
