The Cayx Palace (french: Château de Caïx) is a residence of the
Danish Royal Family located in the wine district of
Cahors in southern
France.
In
medieval times the castle formed part of the defences of the town of
Luzech
Luzech ( or ; Languedocien: ''Lusèg'') is a commune in the Lot department in south-western France.
Geography
Luzech is a small town of around 1,750 inhabitants, located in Quercy at the heart of the vineyard of Cahors wine making region (AOC ...
due to its dominance of the river
Lot
Lot or LOT or The Lot or ''similar'' may refer to:
Common meanings Areas
* Land lot, an area of land
* Parking lot, for automobiles
*Backlot, in movie production
Sets of items
*Lot number, in batch production
*Lot, a set of goods for sale togethe ...
.
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 The Courts of Aids (French: ''Cours des aides'') were sovereign courts in ''Ancien Régime'' France, primarily concerned with customs, but also other matters of public finance. They exercised some control over certain excise taxes and octroi dutie ...
'' 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
Jean-Jacques Lefranc (also Le Franc), Marquis de Pompignan (10 August 1709 – 1 November 1784) was a French man of letters and erudition, who published a considerable output of theatrical work, poems, literary criticism, and polemics; treatises o ...
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.
The sale of Cayx may have funded some of the building works at Pompignan, which itself was sold by Jean-Jacques' grandson in 1833.
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
phylloxera
Grape phylloxera is an insect pest of commercial grapevines worldwide, originally native to eastern North America. Grape phylloxera (''Daktulosphaira vitifoliae'' (Fitch 1855) belong to the family Phylloxeridae, within the order Hemiptera, bugs ...
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 André de Laborde de Monpezat, married
Princess Margrethe, then
heiress presumptive
An heir presumptive is the person entitled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir apparent or a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question.
...
to the Danish throne, becoming Prince Consort of Denmark after she succeeded to
Denmark's throne.
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". It has been the setting for holiday photocalls for the Danish Royal Family, including for Prince Henrik's 80th birthday.
The residence is not open to the public. A guided tour of the gardens is available during the summer. The château still produces wine.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chateau De Cayx
Cayx
Royal residences in France
Châteaux in Lot (department)
Danish monarchy