Le Figaro Bordeaux
“We owe it to the memory of our ancestors to preserve, as much as we can, the houses they owned and cherished: because, by the care they took of them, by the expenses they made on them build and embellish them, we can judge with great appearance that their intention was to pass them on to their posterity,”
wrote Charles-Louis de Secondat (1728-1755), baron de la Brède and Montesquieu in
My thoughts.
Nearly three centuries later, these words of the Enlightenment philosopher still resonate in the heads and hearts of his descendants and those who worked alongside them to preserve the philosophy of this Bordeaux native whose work inspired the foundations of modern republican democracies.
Far from the splendor of Versailles and the English court that he loved, the aristocrat, political writer and observer of human societies liked to take refuge in Gironde, in his estate of the Château de La Brède, inherited from one of his uncles.
Preserved by the same family for 900 years, preserved from pillaging during the Revolution, the fortress was passed on in the 21st century to Jacqueline de Chabannes, who inherited it from her grandmother née Montesquieu.
Died without a direct heir in 2004, the descendant of the philosopher and the last to have inhabited the premises - which she opened to the public during her lifetime for heritage days - decided to organize her succession by legally ensuring the posterity of her famous ancestor .
“She didn't want the castle to be used for penny-pinchers (sic) and for it to stop being visited
,” explains José-Louis Desfilis.
Jacqueline de Chabanne's former lawyer therefore helped her to build and design in her will an eponymous foundation, now owner of the Château de la Brède.
Also read: Maurice Druon told by his nephew: inside the secret of the abbey of the author of the Cursed Kings
Twenty years of restoration
Since 2005, this castle with 150 hectares of gardens designed by Montesquieu and noble interiors, embellished by his descendants whose weapons adorn the pediment, has been restored thanks to the foundation.
Jacqueline de Chabannes also bequeathed him a private mansion, located rue Montaigne in Paris, whose rents bring in 650,000 euros per year and are used to finance the work.
Once the five employees and operating costs have been paid, at least half of this treasury, enriched with state grants, is thus injected each year into the stones which conceal the philosopher's spirit, estimates Maître Desfilis.
“Moat, roof, walls, windows, doors, electricity, paintings, gardens, forest, adjoining farm and stables…”
Created by the man who now presides over the foundation, the work carried out over two decades is considerable.
The estate, classified as a historic monument since May 7, 2008, should be perfectly maintained within five years.
And it shows.
Worn but preserved furniture, box of perfectly designed fleur-de-lys under the library and farm rehabilitated to accommodate disabled people... It is enough to compare the current state of the visitable parts of the castle to the private apartments of Jacqueline de Chabane - that
Le Figaro
was able to visit
-
to understand the quality of the renovations carried out.
Every year, from March, 28,000 visitors enjoy the area and its surroundings where it is possible to have lunch on the grass with the family before going to feed the carp.
Already particularly well-kept during the time of the Enlightenment philosopher, the exteriors are still valued.
“Montesquieu had created gardens, but these spaces were designed to be useful.
They always hide an economic aspect
,” explains Isabelle Cazas-Audureau, the director of the estate since 2018, who showed Le
Figaro
the place .
The famous aristocrat, who liked to say that he did not know if his books were renowned for his wine or if his wine sold well thanks to his books, cultivated wheat in front of his castle and rented his fields adjoining it to sheep breeders.
Centuries have passed, but the vineyards of Château de la Brède still produce grapes vinified by Dominique Haverlan, while the estate's lawns are still home to cows grazing in the spring.
At the start of the next school year, the farm, renovated for 1.8 million euros, should also be used to host business seminars and events in winter, when the doors are closed to tourists.
Also read “My ancestors arrived in 1878”: in Lège-Cap-Ferret, the village of L’Herbe perpetuates the oyster farming tradition
Cultivate common sense
A modern epic of rare intelligence in successions, which allows Montesquieu's legacy to endure when so many other French castles are in ruins.
“I did not have the chance to live in La Brède
,” declared Charles-Henri de Montesquieu, Baron de Montesquieu, without bitterness,
“but we find it extremely good that our aunt managed to find this formula to safeguard this heritage by ensuring this enhancement
.
Statements that go beyond words for the head of the family.
While Jacqueline de Chabannes, traumatized by the terrible fire at Elizabeth II's castle in Windsor in 1992, gave all of Montesquieu's archives to the City of Bordeaux shortly after;
his nephew who owned a collection of original works gleaned over time from his funds has just offered it to the estate to enrich its library.
Library where a huge medieval fresco was unveiled in 2014, precisely thanks to the intervention of state experts involved via the foundation.
The Montesquieu family common sense is far from fading from this land, which has long been theirs and for which they retain the affection of past and living memories.
Succeeding Gaston de Montesquieu, who died in 1908, and Charles de Montesquieu, who died in 1926, who took on the role of mayor of Brède, Marie-Françoise de Montesquieu, the grandmother of the current baron, was municipal councilor of the village until 1970. A long time ago, well before Maurice Druon elected him as his final resting place, the Montesquieu owned even the charge of the abbey of Faise, located 70 kilometers away, of which Joseph de Secondat became abbot in 1866. 200 meters as the crow flies from the Château de la Brède, the chalet des pins which remains a family property of a cousin Montesquieu through his mother, Pierre de Tournemire, also honors the spirit of their ancestor by regularly organizing tributes to the philosopher.
Noblesse oblige
Succeeding as president of the foundation to Charles d'Hivernois, godson of Jacqueline de Chabannes, José-Louis Desfilis is in love with the same philosophy.
And if he does not explain his service by blood, he shows his affection to the memory of Montesquieu's great-granddaughter and above all his desire to work for the common good.
“There is a team of people who are proud to be involved in this restoration.
It's rare, but I believe in a virtuous circle.
We do something good, with good people.
So when we get older and we can say to ourselves: “Ah, that’s not bad what I did”, it’s extremely gratifying
,” confides the man who already knows that he will pass the hand in the coming years.
“It’s humbling to work here, because Montesquieu is truly a man who left his mark on his time and who still has to contribute to ours through his spirit
,” says Isabelle Cazas-Audureau, the director.
The current Baron de Montesquieu has also observed it since his birth.
“Everywhere I go people are quite friendly, touched or impressed and usually compliment my last name.
Unconsciously, it is certain that this involves behaving well.
It's not that we force ourselves to do it, but it's likely that we are more careful because of the name we bear
.
Noblesse oblige.