A verdant setting on the doorstep of Montpellier
“The venue has all the qualities of “otherworldliness”, a place that disconnects you from the world without making you a foreigner. The Domaine de Verchant is a land unto itself, a place that exists outside time and space, a cosy cocoon like a family home” Chantal and Pierre Mestre. Over five years, the new owners renovated this unique place with a passion to transform it into a luxurious hotel complete with a sublime spa, in the heart of a restored vineyard estate.
1582, a key date in the history of the Estate
On 1 February 1582, the Bishop of Montpellier gave Pierre Verchant an estate, which acquired his name and remained in the family for the next two centuries.  
On 23 September, 1878, Jules Leenhardt acquired the estate and manor house inspired by the “Montpellier Follies”, which had been built in the heart of the unique grounds. He paid particular attention to these grounds, even calling on eminent Swiss landscape architects of the time: the Bühler brothers.
A picturesque setting with old stone buildings, a contemporary gem
The deliberately intimate hotel maintains a low accommodation capacity to promote optimal service and comfort. 26 luxurious apartments, rooms and suites from 30 to 90 m² achieve a subtle blend of old architecture and contemporary design that extends into the hotel’s reception, lounges and lounge bar. The château itself has 9 rooms and suites, 14 are located in outbuildings including 2 rooms for people with reduced mobility; there are also 2 apartments and a detached villa occupying the former forge. Each room is unique and differs in its décor, configuration and facilities.
http://www.travellermade.com

Château de Verchant

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Le domaine de Grammont a d'abord été le siège d'un prieuré relevant de l'Ordre de Grandmont. Il s'est transformé ensuite en une propriété viticole de l'est de Montpellier, devenue depuis les années 1980 un espace consacré aux spectacles et aux sports.
Note : l'orthographe alternative Gramont est également employée. Celle avec deux m est utilisée par la mairie de Montpellier et la communauté d'agglomération de Montpellier.
Localisation
Grammont se situe sur la rive gauche du Lez, à l'est du territoire communal de Montpellier, à la limite avec la commune de Saint-Aunès.
Dans les années 1980, le domaine est isolé de la ville, entouré principalement de vignes.
La desserte initiale est assurée par la route départementale D24 (avenue Albert-Einstein) reliant Montpellier à Mauguio. Rapidement, avec les projets d'urbanisation de l'est montpelliérain, est construite l'avenue Pierre-Mendès-France qui assure une liaison rapide entre Antigone et l'échangeur de l'autoroute A9 à la hauteur duquel se trouve le domaine de Grammont.
Malgré l'extension du quartier du Millénaire dédié aux hautes technologie et la création d'Odysseum dédié aux commerces et loisirs, le domaine reste isolé de l'urbanisation grâce à la survie de plusieurs autres domaines viticoles, dont les « folies » du château de Flaugergues et de Montaubérou à l'ouest.
Histoire
En 1174, les Grandmontains s'installent sur un domaine dépendant du chapitre cathédral de Maguelone. La chapelle a été construite vers 1180 (en même temps que l'ensemble des bâtiments conventuels), le chevet a été refait en 1225.
Pendant les guerres de religion (xvie siècle), le prieuré est partiellement ruiné. En 1701, il est donné au séminaire de Montpellier. Vendu comme bien national en 1790, l'aile ouest est reconstruite au début du xixe siècle.
La chapelle est reconstruite entre 1895 et 1897 à l'emplacement de la précédente par l'architecte Pierre Arribat, avec des sculptures d'Auguste Baussan et des vitraux de Louis-Charles-Marie Champigneulle.
Activités et aménagements
Activités municipales
Le château au centre du domaine a vu ses jardins conservés et entretenus. Il sert de mairie annexe pour les cérémonies des mariages civils, le parc de stationnement du domaine étant plus facilement accessible que ceux du centre-ville où se trouve la mairie.
Face aux difficultés d'extension du cimetière Saint-Lazare situé au nord-est du péricentre de Montpellier, a été aménagé le cimetière Saint-Étienne et construit un complexe funéraire à l'est du domaine.
Chapelle Sainte-Philothée
La chapelle du domaine, dénommée chapelle Sainte-Philothée, sert actuellement à l'exercice du culte chrétien orthodoxe du Métropole orthodoxe grecque de France, partie de l'Église orthodoxe de Constantinople.
Spectacles
Inauguré le 6 février 1986, le Zénith Sud est le fleuron du domaine. Première salle de spectacle de type Zénith construite en régions, elle peut accueillir 6 300 spectateurs sur 5 000 m2. En 2000, lors d'une rénovation, sa toile gris métal a été remplacée par une toile jaune.
Pour les concerts et festivals attirant plusieurs milliers de personnes (rock, techno, etc.), l'Espace Grammont est gardé en friche au nord du domaine à cette fin. Il remplace depuis le début des années 1990 le site de l'ancien stade de Richter qui avait cet usage depuis le milieu des années 1980.
Un théâtre, situé entre le château et l'Espace rock, accueille les représentations du Théâtre des Treize Vents.
Activités sportives
La moitié ouest du domaine et quelques terrains à l'est du Zénith Sud sont consacrés aux sports :
parcours sportif dans un bois de pins au nord ;
centre équestre ;
piste d'automodélisme ;
skatepark (et bmx park) ;
terrains de tennis ;
terrains de basket ;
terrains en herbe pour la pratique du football principalement.
Le Montpellier Hérault Sport Club, club professionnel de football, a son siège dans le domaine. L'équipe y effectue ses entraînements alors que son stade, la Mosson, est situé à l'extrémité ouest de la ville.
Autres
Entre les terrains de football et le parcours sportif, se trouve un centre de compostage.

Château de Grammont

The Château de Flaugergues is a castle near Montpellier, Occitanie, southern France. It is one of many follies erected by wealthy merchants surrounding the city. The castle preserves antique furniture and collection of Flemish tapestries.
History
The follies in the region were constructed by aristocrats serving the French king. In 1696, Etienne de Flaugergues, member of the Cour des Comptes, bought a piece of land and built which henceforth carried his name. It took him 45 years to give the existing house its current appearance. From then on, Flaugergues became an example for the various other follies constructed by wealthy merchants surrounding Montpellier.
In 1811, the Boussairolles family bought the estate, and Charles Joseph de Boussairoles designed the orangerie and the park in English garden style in 1850. Inherited by generations of nobles, it still gives an idea of the life of the French nobility in the 17th century.
The château is a Monument historique since 1986.
Architecture
It is not so much the building itself as the use that is made of the area surrounding it that makes Flaugergues interesting architecturally speaking. The architect is not known, but it is certain that there have been multiple people working on the estate between 1696 and 1730. Much use is made of the difference in terrain level, creating separate spaces within the garden and making the mansion look grander than it in fact is.
The façade is cut in half by a doorway with Doric pilasters, carrying an entablature with rose sculpted metopes. The different levels of the house are emphasized by bands, which was fashionable in the 17th century. The large windows give the first level an air of importance, while the back wall of the building is almost blind.
The most striking part of Flaugergues is the interior, with the staircase taking up almost one-third of it. Every floor is served by this staircase with its characteristic hanging key vaults and forged iron banisters.
Wine
Since Roman times, vines have been grown on this spot. A descendant of Jean-Baptiste Colbert now produces the Flaugergues wine. It is part of the Mejanelle, one of the twelve teroirs of the Coteaux du Languedoc AOC.

Château de Flaugergues

The Château de la Mogère is a mansion near the city of Montpellier in the French region of Occitanie. It is one of many follies surrounding Montpellier, built by wealthy merchants in the 18th century.
In 1706, the grounds of la Mogère were purchased by Fulcran Limouzin, the local Secrétaire d'État à la Maison du Roi (one of the types of Secretary of State in France's Ancien Régime). In 1715, architect Jean Giral drew the plan for La Mogère, giving it the appearance it still has today.
Its harmonious façade is topped off by a pediment, standing against a background of pine trees, all in Renaissance-style.
The grounds and interior, currently owned by the Viscount Gaston de Saporta, are open for visits. The interior has been kept intact since the 18th century, displaying antique furniture and family portraits from the last three centuries. Amongst the painters represented here are Jean Jouvenet, Hyacinthe Rigaud and Jacques-Louis David.
The garden is a mixture of English garden and formal garden style and houses a large fountain built up out of thousands of little seashells and carrying a number of cherubs.
La Mogère nowadays lies right next to the Autoroute A9 and in close proximity to the Montpellier - Méditerranée Airport. The last stop of the Montpellier tramway line 1 (Odysseum) is a 10-minute walk away. The Château de Flaugergues is also nearby.

Château de la Mogère

Château d'O (English: Castle of O), also known as Domaine d'O, is one of the chateaux, old country mansions or follies, built by wealthy merchants, from the 18th century onwards, surrounding the French city of Montpellier.
The South entrance leads to the 18th century mansion, while North entrance leads to modern buildings, with Théâtre Jean-Claude Carrière.
It is now a main sight of the city of Montpellier. Part of the venue are :
the château d'O itself, with its French formal gardens
the Théâtre d'O, open-sky in the green theatre
the Bassin d'O, the pond

Château d'O

The Château de Castries is a château in Castries, Hérault, France.
History
The estate has belonged to the House of Castries since 1465. In 1565, Jacques de Castries undertook the building of a new château. The garden was laid out by André Le Nôtre in 1666. The aqueduct, to water the garden, was built by Pierre-Paul Riquet.
The main house was looted and damaged during the French Revolution of 1789 and was restored in 1828. In 1935, it was bought back by René de La Croix de Castries. In 1985, he donated the house to the Académie française. It is open to the public.

Château de Castries

Dating back to immemorial times, the Château de Pondres has existed since 1195 (we know this thanks to the will left by the Lord of Anduze). It’s composition and interior design evolved over the centuries. An important work campaign, conducted in the mid-17th century by Pierre II de Crouzet, Advisor to the King and President of the Chamber of Accounts of Montpellier, gave the castle its current form. Pillaged in the Revolution, the northern wing was burned down at the beginning of the 20th century, and it gradually fell into disuse. It’s complete restoration, carried out under the aegis of Historical Monuments, has recently been completed. Today it has regained it majestic presence, serving now as a place of welcome, art and culture.
Origins
The origins of the Château de Pondres are lost in time. An angle of wall at the base of a cellar in the castle, unrelated to the present layout, suggests the existence of a very old structure, which is now missing or located under the Courtyard. Archaeological proof reveal a strong presence of Roman and Gallo-Roman remains – The temple and Coach house leave us speculating – which some people date back to the Celtic era.
Close to the river, in the lower limit of the domain, a lead hand-made element was found 12 meters deep by recent drilling, leaving us guessing as to the origins. The majesty and tranquility of the place, located not far from the chalcolithic site of Fontbouisse, and reminiscent of the sacred spaces of prior times, also portend a very ancient human presence.
Early Middle Ages
Since the end of the 12th century, over a period spanning more than four centuries, the absence of written documents is largely the result of the ravages of the French Revolution. “It is Monday, 2nd April, 1792 around 9 am in the morning that began the devastation of the Château de Pondres “. Looting of wheat, wine and other food products, theft of jewels, personal belongings, artwork and furniture belonging to Mr. and Mrs. le Marquis de Montlaur, succeeded “the archives, burnt in the front court of the castle “.
Information transmitted by mouth from generation to generation, testifies to the ownership of the Château de Pondres by the Anduze family until the year 1400. At the beginning of the 15th century, the stronghold of Pondres, an important part of a group of acquisitions and conquests, entered by alliance into the patrimony of the powerful Lord of Ganges. On the 28th of March, 1651, the “castle, land and seigniory of Pondres” were sold to Pierre II de Crouzet, “Advisor to the King, President of the Chamber of Accounts of Montpellier”.
The 17th Century
Pierre II de Crouzet undertook a very important work campaign, spread over 10 years from 1654 onwards.
This work was the subject of detailed and notarized “prix-faits”, concerning the production of cut stone, woodwork, and ironworks related to the castle, but also related to the construction of stables, gardens, a lock and various planning of the Park.
Pierre II de Crouzet gave the Château de Pondres the essential part of its present composition. The implementation of the monumental staircase appears to come from this period. His son, Pierre III de Crouzet, presented as “Chevallier, Counselor of the King, President in the sovereign Court of Aydes Accounts and finances of Montpellier” made Pondres the seat of the Marquisate of Montlaur, by his marriage with Anne-Jeanne de Bousquet of Montlaur on 17 January 1686.
The 18th Century
Pierre IV de Crouzet, Marquis de Montlaur, succeeds his father, the third. Anne-Jeanne, her only child, by marriage with Joseph Henri Eugène, brings the Villardi Quinson’s coat of arms to the Château de Pondres in 1740. Joseph Henri Eugène and his son Gabriel Joseph provided the paternity with the sumptuous embellishments of the north wing of Château and many of the park’s main plantations. “He had spent considerable sums of money’’ and the castle ‘’had made it one of the most agreeable mansions in the province.”
The 19th Century
Joseph Isidor de Montlaur, at age 13, fled Pondres with his father Gabriel Joseph Villardi Quinson de Montlaur in 1792, on the evening of the devastation of the Castle, to take refuge in Germany. He returned to his estates at the beginning of the century to inherit it, as well as many neighboring properties – Domaine de la Clotte, estate of Villa, Mas de Raymonville – in 1818, after the death of his father.
Joseph Isidore, a talented musician and Mayor of Villevieille on three occasions, managed the vast agricultural estate he extended through a vast campaign of land acquisitions. In particular, we credit him with the monumental portal positioned on the road of Alès, which today has been moved to the entrance of the Windmill to become the main entrance of the Château de Pondres.
A precise and carefully designed property plan was drawn up at this time, representing both the remarkable landscape and architectural developments. Was it indicative of the reality of the domain in the mid-nineteenth century, or a plan that the Marquis de Montlaur wished to implement?
The complete reconstruction of the south wing from the great portal and the Tower of Levant, including a complete interior redesign, was the work of Raymond Archambaud de Montlaur, son of Joseph Isidore. Upon the death of his father on December 25, 1843. Raymond Archambaud de Montlaur, chemist and genius alchemist, probably discovered in his laboratory built at the top of the donjon the chlorate of potassium, which had immense industrial applications.
The realization of the sumptuous rooms from the 1st floor are probably attributable to him, as are the setting up of the crenellations and the brattice in the coronation of the north wing of the Castle. Elie Esprit Ghislain Amaury de Montlaur received by donation from his father Raymond Archambault on 22 February 1896 the “castle and estate of Pondres, park buildings and factories dependent on it and composed of the Château de Pondres, gardens, housing and operating buildings, Cellar with casks, pastures, courtyards and terraces, water features, hermes and olive groves with a capacity of 112.60 ha […] »
The 20th Century
On the 5th February 1920, in the presence of a notary, Chrestien de Sommières, Elie Esprit Ghislain Amaury Villardi of Quinson, Marquis of Montlaur, sold the Château de Pondres and its surroundings to Jocelyn Auguste Pécout, an agronomist. On the death of the latter, during the Second World War, the historical domain of Pondres became part of the Debras family. In the 20th century, the monument was abandoned and many remarkable developments of the Park disappeared under the the vegetation. The collapse of the roof and then of the floors sent the Castle into ruin, with the Northwest Tower threatening to collapse.
The Historic Estate of Pondres was sold in February 2002 to the General Council of the Gard, which in turn sold it on 20 November 2006 with very precise specifications on restoration. This was the start of a huge campaign to restore the castle, lasting 10 years. Under the aegis of the Conservation of Historic Monuments, every stone, tree and specific element of the castle, its outbuildings and its park was repaired, consolidated, replaced, restored, following the strict guidelines of the tradition of art and respecting the historical aspects.
Equipped with the most modern comforts, the Château de Pondres, on this spring day, prepares its return to life.
http://www.chateaudepondres.fr