Tourism in Dordogne: new features for this well-known site in the department

The Château des Milandes, in Castelnaud-la-Chapelle, now offers the viewing of three films on the restoration of the site

"I'd been thinking about it for a while, but between the restoration of the chapel and everything else, it wasn't possible until this year." Angélique de Labarre, the owner of the Château des Milandes in Castelnaud-la-Chapelle, one of the most famous sites in the Périgord Noir, doesn't hide her pride.

It's now official: Josephine Baker's former home has a cinema (1). The old wine storehouse has been converted into a screening room. "There was already one," explains the owner. "But it was very small and located behind the kitchens. Now, I wanted something more spacious."

“The film about Josephine lasts about twenty minutes […]. It is quite moving.”

The screenings stopped in 2019. “Also, even though it was well-made, it was a documentary about Joséphine that lasted 52 minutes,” explains Angélique de Labarre. “For visitors, it was a bit long.”

A change of format, then, with this new room, installed on the ground floor of the winery and accessible to people with reduced mobility. This time, there's a single documentary on the most famous of the occupants of the place, as well as two others on the restoration work and recent discoveries of the monument. "The film on Joséphine lasts about twenty minutes," explains the lady of the manor. "It's quite moving. I appear in it, as do Akio and Marianne Bouillon, two of her children; it's a bit like a common thread. The director used archive footage from the INA (2), which we purchased."

The second film deals with the discovery of the lead heart during the chapel's restoration. It was created by Montignac resident Pauline Coste. "Pauline filmed her discovery," reveals Angélique de Labarre. "She even went to the National Center for Scientific Research to film its opening. It makes for a rather interesting seven-minute film."

Finally, the last short film is about the restoration of the chapel's stained-glass windows, carried out in 2024. "The images are splendid," explains the site's owner. "There's no commentary, just music; it's very poetic."

In total, the room has about a hundred seats, enough to satisfy the curious, who are numerous in summer, but also to accommodate groups off-season. In addition, during this week of heatwave, the screening room has a huge advantage: it's air-conditioned. "The films are shown on a loop, all day long," says Angélique de Labarre. "With a two-minute break between each film. This way, people can watch just one, or all three in a row, which allows for a refreshing break."

Finally, note that a Playmobil exhibition about the life of Josephine is visible in the exhibition room.

(1) Access to the hall is included in the entrance ticket. More information on milandes.com . (2) National Audiovisual Institute.