The Estate

Further information

Château des Barrenques, located in Provence, has a rich history dating back over 700 years.
In 1300, the town of Pont-Saint-Esprit, an economic crossroads between Lyon and the Camargue, became a nerve center with the construction of the oldest bridge over the Rhône. The visionary de Saint Roch family was behind the creation of the Château in 1324 on the left bank of the Rhône.
The estate covers 300 hectares, with 22 farms built around the château, creating a thriving agricultural economy. The Château and its outbuildings, including a 35-meter-long silkworm nursery, were designed to withstand the mistral wind and fit into a vast 6-hectare park. Water from the river was diverted to power a mill and an aqueduct, essential for silk production, the estate's key activity. The 4,000 mulberry trees on the estate supplied silk to the weavers of Lyon, making the Château des Barrenques the largest silk mill in France at the time.

Over the centuries, this agricultural and family structure has endured through the ages, evolving while remaining in the same noble lineage. In the 20th century, during the Second World War, the estate still ensured the subsistence of local families.
‍
From 1962 to 1992, a farmer repatriated from Algeria took over the last farms and cultivated the last lands of the estate. This man, having lost his land in Algeria, maintained the Château's agricultural activities for 30 years.
‍
Between 1992 and 2002, an Irishman bought the Château, but with no real intention of revitalizing the premises. He adopted a personal approach that further isolated the Château from its surroundings. During this ten-year period, the estate remained frozen in time.

From 2002 to 2022, a lawyer with a passion for heritage took possession of the Château and set about saving this historic jewel. He invested his own funds to restore the Château, the mill, the chapel and the silkworm nursery. Despite tensions with local authorities, notably the Mayor of Lamotte and the Vaucluse Prefecture, he succeeded in having the estate listed on the Inventaire Supplémentaire des Monuments Historiques (ISMH) in 2021. However, the park was left abandoned for the next 20 years.

Today, the Château des Barrenques, listed as a Historic Monument in 2021, was bought by the Domaines & événements group in 2022, which is breathing new life into this historic site through ambitious event projects, reinventing the Château to host weddings, private events, seminars and corporate events. This new direction will perpetuate the Château's heritage while integrating it into a modern, sustainable business model.