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| 0:00 | · | [Music] |
| 0:13 | · | In exploring the origins of Chateau de |
| 0:15 | · | Jizu, its sweeping architecture, hidden |
| 0:18 | · | art, and colorful stories, what we |
| 0:21 | · | uncovered was not just a castle, but a |
| 0:24 | · | living archive of resilience. In part |
| 0:27 | · | one, we saw the architecture of Chateau |
| 0:30 | · | de Jizu unfold in three parts, a living |
| 0:33 | · | timeline built across centuries. We were |
| 0:36 | · | welcomed into the Francois Premier |
| 0:38 | · | Gallery where vibrant paintings slept |
| 0:40 | · | behind a false wall for over 100 years. |
| 0:44 | · | We stood in a corridor of chataus |
| 0:46 | · | surrounded by murals that once trained |
| 0:48 | · | artists in the age of Louis the 14th. |
| 0:51 | · | And now the tour continues into the |
| 0:54 | · | rooms where life unfolded in quieter, |
| 0:56 | · | more personal ways. Because this is what |
| 0:59 | · | makes a castle more than stone and |
| 1:01 | · | status. It's the lives it sheltered, the |
| 1:05 | · | warmth it preserved, the challenging |
| 1:07 | · | years it endured. If you believe that |
| 1:10 | · | kind of beauty is worth remembering, |
| 1:12 | · | you're in the right place. This is |
| 1:14 | · | saving castles, and this is part two of |
| 1:19 | · | Chateau de Jesu. |
| 1:32 | · | Our tour continues into one of the |
| 1:33 | · | chateau's bedrooms, an unassuming space |
| 1:36 | · | that quietly holds one of its most |
| 1:38 | · | powerful stories. In fact, I show you |
| 1:41 | · | this room because the story is really |
| 1:44 | · | nice. You know, I explain you that um |
| 1:46 | · | it's a young couple who received the |
| 1:48 | · | chatau like a wedding present just |
| 1:51 | · | before the French Revolution. And during |
| 1:52 | · | the French Revolution, the young husband |
| 1:55 | · | um go out on of France and stay in exile |
| 1:59 | · | during 10 years. And during 10 years, |
| 2:02 | · | his young wife stay alone here with |
| 2:04 | · | three little babies. And uh and she she |
| 2:08 | · | maintains the place. And uh this is this |
| 2:12 | · | woman who has a clever idea to make a |
| 2:14 | · | file and a double ceiling in the first |
| 2:16 | · | room. I see. And waiting her husband, |
| 2:19 | · | she do something very feminine. She |
| 2:23 | · | embroidered everything here. All the |
| 2:26 | · | chairs, but also the four curtains. Oh |
| 2:30 | · | my gosh. This is all original. Yeah. And |
| 2:32 | · | and also the top of the table. Look at |
| 2:35 | · | this. And she was doing the table when |
| 2:37 | · | her husband came back after 10 years. |
| 2:41 | · | And if you look, it's not very well |
| 2:43 | · | finished here. You see, because we think |
| 2:46 | · | that her husband was here and she say, |
| 2:48 | · | "Oh, stop, stop, stop." And she quickly |
| 2:51 | · | finish a little bit too quickly. And |
| 2:53 | · | nine months after they have they had a |
| 2:56 | · | baby and uh we found in the attic this |
| 2:59 | · | crib. Oh my gosh. And it's from the time |
| 3:03 | · | of Napoleon. What those 10 years must |
| 3:06 | · | have felt like for Julie Perin de |
| 3:08 | · | laurie. Waiting, working, not knowing if |
| 3:11 | · | her husband would ever return. Yet, she |
| 3:14 | · | filled the silence with something |
| 3:16 | · | lasting. This embroidery stitched in the |
| 3:19 | · | 1790s still looks nearly as vivid as the |
| 3:22 | · | day she threaded it into being. Just a |
| 3:25 | · | bit of wear at the edges, like a memory |
| 3:27 | · | softened by time. That's the original |
| 3:30 | · | color. You see? You see the difference? |
| 3:33 | · | Yeah. Mhm. because of the sin. In some |
| 3:36 | · | parts of the chateau, it looks as if |
| 3:38 | · | time didn't even touch it. Like the |
| 3:40 | · | hallways here lined with paintings, as |
| 3:43 | · | if stringing together all the rooms and |
| 3:45 | · | thematic stories. And as we move through |
| 3:47 | · | the next rooms, you begin to see |
| 3:49 | · | something else. The quiet secret to |
| 3:52 | · | keeping a home like this alive is to |
| 3:54 | · | keep living in it. In the 18th century, |
| 3:57 | · | a wind of elegance swept through the |
| 3:59 | · | castle. The stone floors gave way to |
| 4:02 | · | parquet, the best insulator at the time. |
| 4:05 | · | The woodwork now dressed in soft color. |
| 4:08 | · | The Grandome De Jesu transformed these |
| 4:10 | · | salons into intimate spaces for |
| 4:13 | · | conversation, post-dinner drinks, and |
| 4:15 | · | warmth, complete with their original |
| 4:18 | · | furniture still intact. They are from |
| 4:21 | · | the middle of the 18th century. They put |
| 4:24 | · | it here in the middle of the 18th |
| 4:26 | · | century. It never move. So we with my |
| 4:30 | · | husband we register all the furniture as |
| 4:34 | · | a historical furniture like that they |
| 4:37 | · | can't go out from the shadow |
| 4:40 | · | they are staying here for the eternity |
| 4:43 | · | for yeah to protect them all the |
| 4:45 | · | furnitureures for example the table was |
| 4:47 | · | here with the same with the same chair |
| 4:50 | · | in front of it the woodworkers who |
| 4:53 | · | crafted these pieces came directly to |
| 4:55 | · | the chateau so what you see here has |
| 4:57 | · | never left these walls. In both |
| 4:59 | · | placement and layout, these salons are |
| 5:01 | · | styled as close as possible to how they |
| 5:03 | · | were back then. And although the current |
| 5:05 | · | family doesn't spend a lot of time here, |
| 5:08 | · | they still fill it with memories. We |
| 5:10 | · | like him very much because he's very |
| 5:12 | · | beautiful boy. Yes. |
| 5:15 | · | uh is uh the it's an uncle uh who joined |
| 5:21 | · | the army during uh in 1944 to deliver |
| 5:26 | · | the France and he died when he was 21 |
| 5:29 | · | but uh he was so beautiful. Yes. A very |
| 5:32 | · | handsome boy. Yes. And here it's the end |
| 5:36 | · | of the first world war. It's a man of |
| 5:40 | · | the family um who liberate |
| 5:43 | · | Alzas the east of France and it's a |
| 5:46 | · | young girl we give him a bouquet of |
| 5:48 | · | flowers. Yeah. Mhm. When it comes to the |
| 5:51 | · | home to take care of something is to use |
| 5:53 | · | it and to live in it. The chairs are |
| 5:56 | · | from the 18th century but the tapestry |
| 5:59 | · | are from our grandmother. you know, she |
| 6:02 | · | took the same uh uh virus at her |
| 6:06 | · | ancestor and she embroidered everything |
| 6:08 | · | here. While a lot of these pieces are |
| 6:10 | · | decorative, they remain practical and |
| 6:13 | · | still carrying the comfort they were |
| 6:14 | · | made for. And how wonderful to learn |
| 6:17 | · | that the chateau now welcomes guests to |
| 6:19 | · | enjoy those same comforts and stay at |
| 6:21 | · | some of their newly renovated bedrooms. |
| 6:25 | · | 20 years ago, there were no electricity, |
| 6:27 | · | no water, no central heating. So the |
| 6:29 | · | first year we make an apartment for us |
| 6:31 | · | and after we renovate step by step room |
| 6:34 | · | step by step uh to make guest room. If |
| 6:37 | · | you've ever wanted to sleep inside |
| 6:39 | · | history, now you can. The family has |
| 6:41 | · | restored these guest rooms with modern |
| 6:43 | · | comforts but kept the original charm of |
| 6:45 | · | the |
| 6:47 | · | [Music] |
| 6:51 | · | space. |
| 6:59 | · | Through the window, you get a view of |
| 7:01 | · | the dense forest that surrounds the |
| 7:03 | · | castle. A forest that served the hunting |
| 7:05 | · | traditions at Jizu. Jizu has always been |
| 7:08 | · | a hunter's residence. And the hunting |
| 7:10 | · | room is where the hunting stories end. |
| 7:12 | · | Told around a long table beside a |
| 7:14 | · | crackling fire. |
| 7:16 | · | This has been a hunting room for a very |
| 7:18 | · | long time. Yeah. It's always stayed with |
| 7:20 | · | this purpose. Oh yes, that's a hunting |
| 7:22 | · | room. Yeah, exactly. |
| 7:25 | · | Isn't this a fantastic room? I think |
| 7:26 | · | this is my favorite room. Yes. You like |
| 7:28 | · | it? |
| 7:31 | · | His red deer is um was anted during 10 |
| 7:36 | · | years and nobody can catch it. It was so |
| 7:39 | · | big that it became the only man in the |
| 7:43 | · | forest. Ah. So it it's a problem when |
| 7:48 | · | there is only one man. Yes. Me. during |
| 7:51 | · | years and years and years and years in |
| 7:53 | · | the forest. So at the end of the 10 |
| 7:55 | · | years they say the the the hunters say |
| 7:59 | · | we really need to kill him because it's |
| 8:02 | · | bad for all the other de. So after 10 |
| 8:05 | · | years they they kill it and we |
| 8:08 | · | understand why he was so hard to kill. |
| 8:11 | · | It's because if you look at his I I |
| 8:13 | · | don't how do you call this? Antlers. |
| 8:15 | · | Antlers. Yeah. They are very very close |
| 8:18 | · | like that. Yes. Normally it's like that. |
| 8:20 | · | Yes. So into the forest he was |
| 8:23 | · | very very fast. Fast because of the |
| 8:27 | · | antlers. Exactly. It was a dynamic. You |
| 8:30 | · | understand? Yeah. Exactly. Exactly. And |
| 8:33 | · | it's why it was so hard. It was so hard |
| 8:36 | · | to kill him. Yes. That I I just noticed |
| 8:39 | · | that now they are very close together. |
| 8:41 | · | Exactly. Exactly. So it was 100 100 |
| 8:45 | · | years ago. So 100 years ago. Yeah. Yeah. |
| 8:48 | · | I think they kill him in 1912 or |
| 8:50 | · | something like that. So more than one |
| 8:52 | · | century. |
| 8:53 | · | After long days, one often thinks about |
| 8:56 | · | digging into a feast. And at Chisu, they |
| 8:59 | · | used to be prepared in this kitchen |
| 9:01 | · | which was used until the 1970s. The |
| 9:04 | · | pots, the tools, the oven, all original. |
| 9:08 | · | And when the last cook retired, we don't |
| 9:11 | · | find someone who want to come at 6:00 in |
| 9:14 | · | the morning to make fire, to have coffee |
| 9:16 | · | at 8. So this must be what the your |
| 9:19 | · | children are for so they can polish all |
| 9:21 | · | of this. Yes. They have a lot of work. |
| 9:24 | · | Got lots of work to polish. Yeah. Yeah. |
| 9:26 | · | Yeah. And we polish it once a year and |
| 9:28 | · | it's now if you want to stay this |
| 9:30 | · | evening I can give you something to |
| 9:31 | · | polish it. Yes. It's really now. She |
| 9:34 | · | will put us to work polishing. |
| 9:38 | · | So this is very old copper. 18 or 19th |
| 9:41 | · | century. |
| 9:43 | · | Now these must be something special. |
| 9:45 | · | Wow. Yes, we call it like quaff. Each |
| 9:49 | · | woman who was working had a small hat |
| 9:52 | · | like that during during the week it's |
| 9:55 | · | this one and for the Sunday it's most |
| 9:59 | · | elegant and she embroidered it by |
| 10:01 | · | herself. Oh, how wonderful. The kitchen |
| 10:04 | · | carries a few modern touches but nothing |
| 10:06 | · | that erases the layers of time. The |
| 10:09 | · | items here remind you that progress |
| 10:11 | · | didn't replace the past here. It settled |
| 10:13 | · | in beside it. It smells like iron and |
| 10:16 | · | old recipes, like memories you didn't |
| 10:19 | · | know you |
| 10:20 | · | had. And out into the halls beneath the |
| 10:23 | · | chateau, a different kind of survival |
| 10:25 | · | took place. In the cellar, which |
| 10:28 | · | stretches the entire breadth of the |
| 10:30 | · | chateau. So the cellar is there and it's |
| 10:33 | · | nice place because it's very very old. |
| 10:36 | · | It's from the 14th century too. It's a |
| 10:39 | · | foundation of the chateau. And here you |
| 10:42 | · | have a beginning of um a tunnel and at |
| 10:45 | · | the origin this tunnel was 2 km long and |
| 10:48 | · | was opening in a in a in a church in |
| 10:51 | · | another village. It was to escape from |
| 10:54 | · | the shadow if the shadow was So have you |
| 10:56 | · | walked? Yes, but it's now it's not 2 km |
| 11:00 | · | at all. It's collapsed some collapsed. |
| 11:04 | · | Stephanie tells us of her grandfather |
| 11:05 | · | who once hid down here during the Second |
| 11:07 | · | World War. And he said, "The shadow |
| 11:09 | · | saved my life." With this group of |
| 11:12 | · | resistance, they attacked a train. Uh, |
| 11:15 | · | and in this train, there were a lot a |
| 11:17 | · | lot a lot of prisoners. Mhm. Who were |
| 11:20 | · | going by train to the east to the camp. |
| 11:23 | · | Uhhuh. And they saved hundreds life. Of |
| 11:27 | · | course, they have to be to hide. To |
| 11:29 | · | hide. And he came here. And I forget to |
| 11:32 | · | tell you that the Germans was occupied |
| 11:35 | · | the shadow and um and he stay here into |
| 11:39 | · | the cellar. Our grandfather was |
| 11:42 | · | hidden into the cellar. He protected |
| 11:45 | · | him. Yeah. Exactly. And he stayed during |
| 11:47 | · | months and months perhaps three or four |
| 11:50 | · | months here and uh he explained us that |
| 11:53 | · | during the night he was going outside to |
| 11:55 | · | to do things of resistant and we said |
| 11:58 | · | but how can you go outside? There was |
| 12:00 | · | the Germans here and he say I was taking |
| 12:02 | · | the tunnel. Oh yes. So the tunnel he |
| 12:05 | · | used the tunnel to go outside and each |
| 12:07 | · | morning he came back here to be |
| 12:08 | · | protected during the day and after three |
| 12:10 | · | or four months he saw the Germans forget |
| 12:13 | · | him and he he stay out during a day and |
| 12:18 | · | the German catch him and he was in in |
| 12:22 | · | the camp on the death camp. Yeah. But he |
| 12:25 | · | survived and he say I survive because |
| 12:28 | · | when I was into the cellar of the chatau |
| 12:31 | · | the cook give me so many things to eat |
| 12:34 | · | that I was very strong. |
| 12:38 | · | So so in his in his mind it's really the |
| 12:41 | · | shadows this few months in the shadow |
| 12:43 | · | that saved his life. Above us yet |
| 12:46 | · | another story of survival is being |
| 12:48 | · | written in the chapel. |
| 12:51 | · | The chapel's origins are unclear, as the |
| 12:54 | · | castle's archives were lost during the |
| 12:56 | · | French Revolution, but the stonework and |
| 12:58 | · | painted ceilings suggest it was built in |
| 13:00 | · | the late 16th or early 17th |
| 13:03 | · | century. And even older still, the |
| 13:06 | · | statues that line the chapel remind us |
| 13:08 | · | that faith has been practiced here for |
| 13:10 | · | far longer than records can confirm. 14, |
| 13:13 | · | 14, or 15th century. It's really very |
| 13:16 | · | old. It seems to be at least that old. |
| 13:18 | · | Yes. Above the floral fresco bloom in |
| 13:21 | · | shades of sky blue and gold, curling |
| 13:24 | · | delicately along the vated ceiling like |
| 13:25 | · | a secret garden suspended above the |
| 13:28 | · | pews. This chapel feels very personal. |
| 13:31 | · | At the back there's a carved wooden |
| 13:33 | · | gallery that hides a discrete door |
| 13:36 | · | leading directly to the private |
| 13:37 | · | quarters. You could enter quietly |
| 13:40 | · | without announcement or ceremony. It is |
| 13:43 | · | a space for solitude, for stillness. |
| 13:47 | · | But today, scaffolding covers its |
| 13:50 | · | exterior. Inside, the paint |
| 13:53 | · | peels. Moisture has darkened the beams. |
| 13:56 | · | The damage is no longer creeping. It's |
| 13:59 | · | advancing. And yet, there is hope. Major |
| 14:03 | · | restorations are underway, and the |
| 14:05 | · | hardworking restoration experts and more |
| 14:08 | · | than 400 donors are making it possible. |
| 14:10 | · | Quiet champions of history whose support |
| 14:13 | · | speaks volumes. Because places like this |
| 14:15 | · | are restored by the loving hearts of |
| 14:18 | · | those who believe the past still has |
| 14:20 | · | something to offer the present. And soon |
| 14:23 | · | the chapel will reopen to the public |
| 14:25 | · | even before every detail is complete |
| 14:28 | · | because something like this, something |
| 14:30 | · | this beautiful, this meaningful can't |
| 14:33 | · | stay hidden forever. And as Stephanie |
| 14:35 | · | says, it's worth the effort. So you have |
| 14:38 | · | spent your most of your life renovating. |
| 14:41 | · | Yes. But we like it because we think we |
| 14:43 | · | are renovating a part of the history of |
| 14:46 | · | our country. In fact, also to share our |
| 14:49 | · | patient with people and we like it. From |
| 14:52 | · | the rooms that held royalty to the |
| 14:54 | · | corridors that trained artists, from the |
| 14:56 | · | salons that whispered with laughter to |
| 14:58 | · | the cellar that held its breath during |
| 15:00 | · | war, Jiu is every bit a survivor. It has |
| 15:05 | · | seen kings rise and fall, endured the |
| 15:08 | · | revolution, watched France become a |
| 15:11 | · | republic, an empire, and a republic |
| 15:13 | · | again. Through it all, it stood quietly |
| 15:17 | · | witnessing the shape of a nation. And |
| 15:19 | · | through two parts, we've only just begun |
| 15:21 | · | to understand it. |
| 15:35 | · | If these stories moved you, subscribe. |
| 15:37 | · | And to our Patreon supporters, thank |
| 15:39 | · | you. You're helping us bring these |
| 15:40 | · | histories to light. There's even more |
| 15:43 | · | waiting for you on Patreon. Deeper |
| 15:45 | · | stories, rare archival finds, and |
| 15:47 | · | extended footage for more chateau. Share |
| 15:50 | · | this with someone who needs to remember |
| 15:52 | · | that beauty can endure, that history |
| 15:54 | · | still breathes. This is saving castles, |
| 15:57 | · | and Jizu is one we won't forget. |
