Château & Gardens

A family story

In 1696, Etienne de Flaugergues, a councillor at the Montpellier Court of Auditors, acquired an estate to which he would later give his name. He built a “Folie”, a typical residence of the Montpellier countryside in the 18th century. For 45 years he worked on the building to give it its final appearance. The château was primarily a pleasure house, but was only occupied for 3 months of the year!

The descendants, the Colbert family, still live in the château, more than 320 years later. It is with passion that they continue today to keep this exceptional historical and winegrowing heritage alive.

A unique heritage

Once a smallholding, the Château de Flaugergues is one of the oldest "Folies" of Montpellier. It is distinguished by its imposing exterior on three levels and its two forebodies, evoking certain Tuscan villas of the 16th century.

Inside, there are some real treasures from the past. Archive documents several hundred years old, Flemish tapestries from the workshops of Philippe Wauters, a curious optical instrument from the Louis XV period, Louis XVI style furniture... But also a monumental staircase with hanging keys, occupying practically a quarter of the total volume of the residence! The entire castle is now listed as a Historic Monument.

The French garden and the terrace

Very fashionable in the 18th century, the French garden of the Château de Flaugergues is however a purely 20th century creation. It was the Colbert family, with the help of the landscape gardener Emmanuel de Sauveboeuf, who laid out this space at the end of the 1970s, in order to restore it to its former splendour.

Above the formal garden, the terrace rises. Formerly the château's main courtyard, its classical appearance now gives pride of place to statues and Anduze vases containing the many varieties of citrus fruit found on the property.

The landscape park and the olive tree alley

To the south-west of the château lie the landscaped park and the olive tree alley. The landscape park, with its botanical vocation, is home to an extraordinary diversity of plants brought back from all over the world by the various owners: cork oak, ginkgo bilobas, sequoia... But also a bamboo grove, a haven of shade and coolness for the walker!

The 400-metre long Olive Tree Alley is lined with promising young olive trees taken from cuttings from the first olive trees planted in 1731!

All the gardens have been labelled “Jardins Remarquables” since 2004.

The Oasis Citadine

Alongside its 4 hectares of gardens, the Château de Flaugergues inaugurated a new space in 2018 in partnership with the association Oasis Citadine: the Oasis de Flaugergues. Urban and collaborative, this farm offers its visitors an introduction to permaculture. They discover the pleasure of growing their own food in the middle of the city, while adopting a more environmentally friendly approach.

The association offers a program of workshops and regular events, which you can discover here.