In medieval times the castle formed part of the defences of the town of Luzech due to its dominance of the river Lot.
In the 15th century the chateau belonged to the Couderc family, who were notaries in Luzech, and in the 16th century the Courtois family held the lordship. With his marriage to Hélène de Courtois in 1640, Gerard Lefranc became lord of the domain. He was the first hereditary president of the Cours des Aides in nearby Cahors. His grandson, Jacques Lefrance, was president when the court was moved to Montauban in 1709, when he bought a property at Pompignan. Jacques' eldest son, the noted French poet Jean-Jacques Lefranc, Marquis de Pompignan spent the first half of his life at Cayx and received some of the inspiration for his garden at the Chateau de Pompignan from the siting and views (though not the architecture, by then outmoded) of Cayx. Jacques' second son, Jean-Georges, bishop of Vienne and also an Enlightenment figure was raised there as well.[2] The sale of Cayx may have funded some of the building works at Pompignan, which itself was sold by Jean-Jacques' grandson in 1833.[3]
The château was first fortified during the fourteenth century. Since then it has been rebuilt and renovated several times. The Lefrancs built the extensive wine cellars under the château.
The royal couple purchased the château and the estate in 1974. Since then they have renovated it extensively. According to the official website of the Danish monarchy, the residence has become a "relaxed setting for reunions of the entire Danish Royal Family and their French relatives".[4] It has been the setting for holiday photocalls for the Danish Royal Family, including for Prince Henrik's 80th birthday.[5]
The residence is not open to the public. A guided tour of the gardens is available during the summer. The château still produces wine.[6]
^. The Danish monarchy. Archived from the original on 2008-12-25. Retrieved 2009-01-22.
^"Caption:LUZECH, FRANCE - JUNE 11: Danish Royal Family of Denmark attends a Photocall at Chateau de Cayx on June 11, 2014 in Luzech, France. (Photo by Patrick Aventurier/WireImage)". Getty Images.
^. My French Wine Cellar. Archived from the original on 2013-04-10. Retrieved 2014-06-14.
château, cayx, cayx, palace, french, château, caïx, residence, danish, royal, family, located, wine, district, cahors, southern, france, medieval, times, castle, formed, part, defences, town, luzech, dominance, river, 15th, century, chateau, belonged, couderc,. The Cayx Palace French Chateau de Caix is a residence of the Danish Royal Family located in the wine district of Cahors in southern France 1 In medieval times the castle formed part of the defences of the town of Luzech due to its dominance of the river Lot In the 15th century the chateau belonged to the Couderc family who were notaries in Luzech and in the 16th century the Courtois family held the lordship With his marriage to Helene de Courtois in 1640 Gerard Lefranc became lord of the domain He was the first hereditary president of the Cours des Aides in nearby Cahors His grandson Jacques Lefrance was president when the court was moved to Montauban in 1709 when he bought a property at Pompignan Jacques eldest son the noted French poet Jean Jacques Lefranc Marquis de Pompignan spent the first half of his life at Cayx and received some of the inspiration for his garden at the Chateau de Pompignan from the siting and views though not the architecture by then outmoded of Cayx Jacques second son Jean Georges bishop of Vienne and also an Enlightenment figure was raised there as well 2 The sale of Cayx may have funded some of the building works at Pompignan which itself was sold by Jean Jacques grandson in 1833 3 The chateau was first fortified during the fourteenth century Since then it has been rebuilt and renovated several times The Lefrancs built the extensive wine cellars under the chateau The phylloxera infestation devastated the vineyards during the late nineteenth century and the owners emigrated to Indo China They did not return to Europe until 1955 In 1967 the family s heir Henri Marie Jean Andre de Laborde de Monpezat married Princess Margrethe then heiress presumptive to the Danish throne becoming Prince Consort of Denmark after she succeeded to Denmark s throne The royal couple purchased the chateau and the estate in 1974 Since then they have renovated it extensively According to the official website of the Danish monarchy the residence has become a relaxed setting for reunions of the entire Danish Royal Family and their French relatives 4 It has been the setting for holiday photocalls for the Danish Royal Family including for Prince Henrik s 80th birthday 5 The residence is not open to the public A guided tour of the gardens is available during the summer The chateau still produces wine 6 References Edit Official website Chateau de Cayx Article in French on Lefranc at Archived 2011 06 13 at the Wayback Machine See Cranga Archived 2011 05 31 at the Wayback Machine p 192 Chateau de Cayx The Danish monarchy Archived from the original on 2008 12 25 Retrieved 2009 01 22 Caption LUZECH FRANCE JUNE 11 Danish Royal Family of Denmark attends a Photocall at Chateau de Cayx on June 11 2014 in Luzech France Photo by Patrick Aventurier WireImage Getty Images Chateau de Cayx My French Wine Cellar Archived from the original on 2013 04 10 Retrieved 2014 06 14 Coordinates 44 29 26 N 1 18 20 E 44 49056 N 1 30556 E 44 49056 1 30556 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Chateau de Cayx amp oldid 1110892612, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
