A 19th century chateau built as a gift to the Count of Chambord, the main pretender to the throne of France at the time, has gone on sale.
The chateau is an hour’s drive from Toulouse and is on sale for €1.4 million (fees included). It has been refurbished and ready to be moved into.
It dates to a time when nostalgic former nobles were aching for a return to monarchy and supported the Count in the hope that he would ascend to the throne.
Pic: Denniel Immobilier
A hopeful gesture of French monarchists
It is unlikely that the Count ever visited the chateau, which is near Saint-Gaudens village (Haute-Garonne), as his time in France was brief.
The Count, also known as Henri d’Artois, was the grandson of Charles X – the king of France from 1824 to 1830 – and was first in line for the throne of France during the reign of Napoleon III.
After the deposition of Charles X in 1830, Henri d’Artois and his family took refuge in Scotland. He gathered increasing support from monarchists while in exile.
When Napoleon III proclaimed the Second French Empire in 1852, Henri D’Artois was in regular contact with the French legitimist party, which campaigned for his return.
When the chateau was built in 1867, Henri d’Artois was still exiled in the United Kingdom. After the fall of Napoleon III and the Empire, he returned to Versailles in secret.
Only 11 days later, a failed attempt at restoring the monarchy forced him back into exile - this time in Austria where he died in 1883.
The chateau is filled with memorabilia from the Bourbon monarchy including portraits of Louis XVI, Marie-Antoinette, and the Count himself.
The ‘fleur-de-lys’, the symbol of the Bourbon dynasty, is featured on all wallpapers and sculpted above every door frame.
The main living room also features a marble fireplace with fleur-de-lis engravings. The central ceiling features the coat-of-arms of the family who ordered the construction, surrounded by lions.
Pic: Denniel Immobilier
The chateau has 13 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, a kitchen with a separate entrance, a chapel, a swimming pool and a 1.9 acre walled park filled with rare trees and antique cultures.
The estate is situated at the bottom of the Pyrenees, eight kilometres from the nearest village, 62 kilometres from Tarbes and 100 kilometres from Toulouse.
