DORDOGNE, FRANCE

MOVEABLE FEASTS: WORDS, INSPIRATIONS,, VISIONS.

DORDOGNE, FRANCE

"I believe that this great peaceful region of France will be a sacred spot for man and when the cities have killed off the poets this will be the refuge and the cradle of poets to come. France will someday exist no more but the Dordogne will live on just as dreams live on and nourish the souls of Men". Henry Miller, "The Colossus Meroussi"

In June, we will be traveling to France for our Fall Writers Workshops in the Dordogne. This beautiful department is situated in the deep core of France's historic region. The Aquitaine is an area where homo sapiens have resided for over 180,000 years and it is crowned as one of the most important prehistoric sites in the world. In the Dordogne the countryside is overflowing with picturesque stone-house villages embraced by gentle sloping hills and blooming orchards. It is geographically located, in the south-western interior corner of the country. For centuries, great poets and writers have lived and died in this historic region. Even the towns are immortalized with names such as Bergerac, which is only 30 miles away from Bourdeilles where we'll be staying.

Chateau Marouatte

Chateau Marouatte is a private, 200-acre 14th century Chateau set in the region of the Perigord Vert, with spectacular views across acres of rolling countryside and woodland. Chāteau Marouatte is a 14th century fortified castle in the Dordogne, built on an ancient Neolithic site and remnants of a Roman Fort. Recently restored to provide the best of modern comfort while preserving its unique historical charm. Each room has its own spectacular views both of the chateau and the surrounding landscapes. From its commanding position Marouatte enjoys superb panoramic vistas of the 100 hectare estate with woodland and pasture in the valley below. There are also picnic areas and a tennis court. Our excursions will center around the exploration of prehistoric cave art. There are hundreds of caves throughout Europe; however, most of the richly decorative caves are found mainly in the Periogord; the French Pyrenees and Cantabrian Spain. Here in the Perigord-Dordogne there are over a hundred caves. We'll be focusing on the major accessible caves in the region. The first week, we will tour the cave of Lascaux II. Afterwards, we'll share a wonderful picnic nearby the medieval city of Sarlat, followed by a fabulous viewing session in the prehistoric Museum in Les Eyzies.The second week, we'll have more excursions in the region, including the cave of Fonte-de-Gaume, Cougnac and Peche Merle in the Lot, the latter has paintings 22,000 years old, plus the exciting cave of Rouffignac.

History of the second Chateau we'll be staying at Chateau des Senechaux

The Chateau belonged to Arche de Bourdeille and his wife Jacquette de Montbray (whose bronzes are mounted on the doors of the Chateau). Arche was the chronicler Brantome's brother. He was born in 1519 and died in 1582. As he was the senechal (governor) of the Perigord it explains the name of the chateau (chateau des Seneschaux). This is the story of the Bourdeille's origins. Brantome (Pierre de Bourdeille, brother of Arche) was very proud of his noble lineage. According to him Charlemagne would have had among his paladins an Angelin de Bourdeille who died in Roncevaux. In reality, he used a XV century Italian writer, Luigi Pulci's, book of knights and transformed Angelin di Bordea to Angelin de Bourdeille with no scruples. Another paladin amongst his ancestors was Yvon or Aymon de Bourdeille, of whom traces were found in the family archives in the chateau. Around the year 127 Marcomir, king of the Francs married Tiloa Bordelia daughter of the king of England. They had 7 sons of whom Nicanor the last but one was founder of the dynasty. He was a mythical hero of the Aquitaine region which was under Roman occupation. A tempest dispersed his fleet and threw him up on an island populated with griffins. Nicanor managed to cut off the heads of the biggest griffins - from this came the Bourdeille emblem. When in the courtyard of the medieval fortress, on your right, there is a little door and upon it on the outside there is the emblem with the two griffin claws. Another legend states that Brantome's crusader ancestors brought back from the Holy Land the substance used to make the Saint-Chveme from the Vassaux baptism. This substance would have been extracted from the ear of the dragon killed by their bands.

Nancy Gerbault, ABROAD-crwf