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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The castle of Flaugergues, located in Montpellier in the Hérault, is a madness (residence of pleasure) built at the end of the seventeenth century, in 1696. Ranked a historic monument, it still belongs to the Colbert family and now houses a wine farm in urban areas. Its architecture, inspired by Italian villas, is distinguished by its stone façades, roofs decorated with 18th century painted tiles, and terraced gardens.

The estate was acquired in 1696 by Étienne de Flaugergues (1655-1741), adviser to the Court of Auditors of Montpellier, who beautified for nearly 50 years. Passed by inheritance, he passed in 1811 to Jacques-Joseph de Boussairolles, then to the Barthélémy family of Saizieu. During the Second World War (1942-1944), the castle was requisitioned by the Luftwaffe, while its owner, Baron René de Saizieu, was a prisoner in Germany. When he died in 1973, his nephew, Count Henri de Colbert, inherited and modernized the vineyard.

Inside the castle reveals a stairway with hanging keys, without a pillar, and lounges furnished with Louis XV and Louis XVI rooms. The walls house Flemish tapestries (1670) on the life of Moses, a collection of porcelains, and a rare zograscope (an 18th century optical box). The Eagle's bedroom, decorated in 1990 by Diane de Montbron, evokes Napoleon's Egypt campaign. The estate also preserves classified family archives, including documents on Baron Richard de Saizieu, captain of a ship under the Empire.

The gardens, labeled "Remarkable Garden" since 2004, combine French and English styles. The French garden, restored in the 20th century, has 10,000 feet of boxwood, while the landscaped park, created in 1847, houses rare palm trees like a Chilean coconut tree planted in 1874. An urban permaculture farm, the Oasis city, was established there in 2018. The vineyard, attested since the Gallo-Roman era, produces wines in AOP Languedoc and IGP Pays d'Oc, with an eco-responsible cellar built in 2016.

Ranked a historic monument in 1986 (after a first inscription in 1949), the castle and its outbuildings illustrate the evolution of a Languedoc madness in an urban winery. It also serves as a setting for audiovisual productions, such as the Ad Vitam Ad Mortem series (2016).

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