Purchase of farm 1898 (≈ 1898)
Jean Rameau acquired the original domain.
1925-1928
Construction of the gloriette
Construction of the gloriette 1925-1928 (≈ 1927)
Tomb built by Adrion and Dufour.
1940-1941
Burial of the tomb
Burial of the tomb 1940-1941 (≈ 1941)
Damage to the gloriette.
11 juillet 1942
Historical Monument
Historical Monument 11 juillet 1942 (≈ 1942)
Official site protection.
2002
Abandonment finding
Abandonment finding 2002 (≈ 2002)
State of advanced ruin reported.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Logis (Case AI 23); base floor of the garden located on the plots (box AI 22 to 25); Gloriette (Case WD 20): registration by order of 1 February 1999
Key figures
Jean Rameau - Poet and masterpiece
Creator of the domain and its works.
Adrion - Mason
Builder of the Gloriette in 1925-1928.
Louis Dufour - Carpenter
Artisan who participated in the gloriette.
Origin and history
The Domaine du Pourtaou et de la Gloriette, located in Cauneille (Landes), is a total artistic creation by the Dutch poet and novelist Jean Rameau (1858-1942). Acquired in 1898 in the form of a farm, he transformed it into an architectural, furniture and landscaped ensemble reflecting his dreamlike universe. The house, enriched with art, paintings and sculptures of his hand, became a museum in its own right, while the gardens, with plantations, kiosks, pergola and sculptures, extended this artistic vision.
The gloriette, monumental tomb built between 1925 and 1928 by the artisans Adrion (mason) and Louis Dufour (carpenter), crowns the estate. With a circular three-storey plan, it is surmounted by a dome and decorated with a colonnade supporting a terrace. A funerary slab, bearing the inscription Jean Rameau 1858-1942, marks the location of his burial, originally planned inside the tomb but finally located at his foot, south side, after his ruin in 1940 or 1941. A wrought iron cross, now mutilated, completed the whole.
Ranked and listed as a Historic Monument on July 11, 1942, the estate was abandoned after the death of its creator. An observation in 2002 revealed a state of advanced degradation: the outside in poor condition, the inside in ruins. Despite its heritage importance, the site struggles to regain its past splendor, demonstrating the challenge of preserving in situ works linked to a local artistic figure.
The Cauneille pyramid, mentioned on the Cassini map at the same location, suggests an ancient occupation or landmark on this site. The ensemble illustrates the cultural heritage of the Landes, where literature, architecture and landscape intertwine under the impulse of a versatile artist, anchored in his territory.
