Lachaise: PAPSE Route and Heritage
Accommodation in Lachaise
Lachaise combines the clearly defined PAPSE Route with historic landmarks and a landscape shaped by agriculture and winegrowing. Its specific highlights include a 9.8-kilometre route, the Benedictine Priory of Saint-Vivien, traces of a feudal motte and the Moulin de la MĂ©narde. The Domaine de Pladuc also brings together the history of winegrowing and a culinary experience in Petite Champagne.
PAPSE Route and Landscape
The PAPSE Route starts at Valfontaine Village and is 9.8 kilometres long. It runs alongside the Ruisseau des Fontaines Blanches. Along the route, you can also see the agricultural and winegrowing landscape of Petite Champagne, the second Cognac cru. The starting point and distance clearly indicate the length of the tour, while the stream and vineyards define its landscape character.
The route also features a two-hundred-year-old black poplar with a trunk circumference of 7.30 metres. This is a precisely described natural feature alongside the river and vineyards.
Historic Landmarks in Lachaise
Visible traces of an old feudal motte can be seen in Lachaise along the PAPSE Route. The motte has been levelled and is surrounded by a ditch; the associated fortifications date back to at least the 12th century. The surviving landform and ditch give this historic landmark a tangible shape.
The Benedictine Priory of Saint-Vivien in Lachaise features a figurative main window. It depicts Saint Vivien, the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Saint Joseph. While the motte is associated with fortifications and its landform, the focus at the priory is on religious visual art.
The Moulin de la MĂ©narde offers a different focus: sections of its walls, including the entrance door, have survived, along with a water channel that now forms an impressive waterfall. A large millstone lies buried beneath the branches. The mill probably dates from the early 18th century. The masonry, watercourse and millstone are distinct surviving features of the mill. The motte fortifications date back to at least the 12th century; the mill probably dates from the early 18th century.
Domaine de Pladuc in Petite Champagne
The Domaine de Pladuc is a former 19th-century wine estate in Petite Champagne, in Lachaise. The property is set in an 8,000-square-metre park through which the Né flows. Unlike the Ruisseau des Fontaines Blanches along the PAPSE Route, the Né is the specifically named river in the estate’s park.
The Domaine de Pladuc also offers a culinary experience featuring RĂ©union cuisine and Cognac in Petite Champagne. A reservation may be required.
Discover more destinations: Verteuil-Sur-Charente, Cherves-Châtelars, Ruffec, Baignes-Sainte-Radegonde, Saulgond, Salles-Lavalette, Roullet-Saint-Estèphe, Aigre.
For the broader travel guide: Charente.
