TOver the centuries, the estate has preserved traces of its agricultural past, including a remarkable hackberry tree estimated to be 700 years old. A geobiologist and several mediums claim that the subsoil conceals a vast underground cavity, with a gentle stream running through it, giving the site a special energy.
A mystical vision at the origin of PortelThe history of Portel des Arnaud is closely linked to that of Joséphine Jourdan, a young woman of deep faith, seen as a saint by some, an eccentric by others. When she was just twenty, she convinced her father, a wealthy landowner, to buy the land, convinced that it possessed a unique spiritual power. The large building was constructed in 1861.
Joséphine claimed to be endowed with divine visions and revelations, which influenced her choice of location for the house. She even donated part of the land for the erection of the Jubilee Cross of 1800. Her father, despite his wealth, eventually went bankrupt and the house was sold.
The silkworm nursery: the golden age of silkLe Portel then became a silkworm farm, a place devoted to raising silkworms. Its top floor was reserved for this activity, which was essential to the economy of the Cévennes at the time. For years, thousands of caterpillars fed on mulberry leaves before weaving their precious cocoons, which were then sent to spinning mills to produce silk.The decline of sericulture, linked to the advent of synthetic fibres and silkworm diseases, put an end to this activity. The house was then transformed into a wine cellar, with the installation of concrete and earthenware vats for vinification.
An industrial past and troubled times
Offices were created and rented on the first floors to the owners of the Durfort lead mine.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the house was used by the operators of the Durfort lead mine, who converted the first floor into luxurious offices for their administration. These offices, with their elegant fireplaces and typical red floor tiles, still bear witness to this flourishing era.
During the Second World War, the mines closed and the offices were requisitioned to house German soldiers. A machine-gun was stationed on the site of the current fountain to keep watch over the road to Sauve.
