La Roche l'Abeille

It is a little village the Duchess de Chevreuse visited in 1633.

"The journey of that day had been long and wearing; it was a cold day, the eleventh of October, there was no inn or chateau in the village and the homes of the peasants were poor and unattractive. Marie Michon was a very aristocratic person; like her sister the queen, she had been accustomed to pleasing perfumes and fine linen; she resolved, therefore, to seek hospitality of the priest." Athos paused.

Athos also stayed here in same day. So the duchess misunderstood he was the priest of the village and she tempted him. As a result, she had a baby.

"And have you never revisited that village?" eagerly asked Madame de Chevreuse. "A year after, madame." "Well?"
"I wanted to see the good cure again. I found him much preoccupied with an event that he could not at all comprehend. A week before he had received, in a cradle, a beautiful little boy three months old, with a purse filled with gold and a note containing these simple words: `11 October, 1633.'"

Athos took charge of the boy and bring him up. The boy was named Raoul. It was 15 years after the duchess met him again.

The church of the village / The stained glass

An entrance of the village / To the central

ACCESS GUIDE

It is about 400 Km from Paris via autoroute of A20 to Limoges by automobile. From Limoges via route D704 and D17, it needs about 30 minutes.

Map of Detail

Musketeers' Journey Report

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