Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Caunelles Castle, located in the commune of Juvignac (Hérault), has its origins in the 16th century, although traces of a parish chapel called "Caunelis" date back to 1263. This place of worship, placed under the protection of Charles d'Aigrefeuille, evolved in 1484 under the name "Caunelas". The first cards of Cassini, in 1747, formalized the appellation Château de Caunelle (without the final S). In the Renaissance, the estate, including terraces on the Mosson and lands, is recognized as noble. Henry IV attributed in 1595 to John Hucher, the king's ordinary doctor and squire, who became his lord.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the property passed into the hands of the Ducher family (or Duché), marked by influential figures: Pierre Ducher, first consul of Montpellier in 1647, Henri Ducher, adviser to the Chamber of Accounts in 1680, and Jean Duché, attorney general in 1714. The estate was sold in 1790, and the lineage was extinguished in 1802 with Xavier Duché, Attorney General. The castle, transformed into Montpellierian madness in the 18th century, preserves Renaissance elements such as sled windows, while adopting classic features (low slope roof, symmetry of openings).

In 1823, the park and gardens (9 ha) were redesigned by Jean-Marie Amelin, integrating garrigue, pinewood and a damp cord along the Mosson. The estate, now dedicated to viticulture (AOC Languedoc), is suffering in 2014 from record floods (410 m3/s), causing major damage. Ranked historic monument in 2006, it includes castle, chapel, orangery, dovecote, and wall enclosure. Its protection perimeter, initially set at 500 metres, was revised in 2014 to include the Constellation ZAC.

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