The Story of the Stones
A Castle and a Gallo-Roman Villa
The Castle
The current castle dates from 17th century; it was rebuilt on the foundations of a feudal castle owned successively by the feudal lords of Trencavel, Las Cases and Dupuy de Belvèze. The estate was purchased by Marcel Malafosse in 1899.
The Park
An 8-hectare park surrounds the castle and with its 200-year-old trees acquired from around the world: cedars from Lebanon and the Atlas region dating from the Napoleonic conquests, wellingtonia from New Zealand, giant sequoia from North America alongside with many European species.
The Chapel
Built at a location recognised as a place of worship since 9th century, the chapel was renovated in 18th century after the destruction of the Church of Our Lady of Reig in the grounds of the castle. The Chapel is open to the public and every August a cultural event is held here relating to vines and wine. These unique evenings allow our guests to enjoy a special wine tasting until sunset amidst Chardonnay vineyards.
The Mills
4 mills are scattered around the Château Belvèze estate. There are 2 windmills on a hill in the wheat fields. The water mill at the bottom of the park had a hydraulic system - the stream enabled the grinding of the flour for the village needs. Another mill is the oil one in the grounds of the Park that was used until 1850 to press olives from the fields of Rodonde.
The Gallo-Roman Villa
The aerial survey by the scientist Michel Passelac from CNRS (French National Centre for Scientific Research) uncovered the existence of a Gallo-Roman villa on the territory of the Belvèze estate. The area of Razès is the land of truly rich history, still revealing to us its secrets.