Domaine de La Chapelle Saint Bacchi can host weddings, family celebrations, concerts and company days for up to 140 guests in one reception room of 190 square meters, with a raised terrace of the same size in front of it. The estate stands in the woods of Jouques, in the Bouches-du-Rhône, near Aix-en-Provence. Cécile and Daniel Ughetto run the reception side of the estate.
Seminars and company events
The estate lists professional events next to private ones, and its terrace page names seminars and meetings among the uses of the outdoor space. For a company, the format that fits best is a study day or a team day for a group up to the size of the room, with a plenary in the main room, breaks and lunch on the terrace, and time outside in the gardens or on the pétanque ground.
The site does not publish meeting equipment, room layouts or day packages. Ask the owners what audiovisual set-up is available and how the room can be arranged for a seminar before you confirm.
Weddings and receptions
Weddings are the core of the estate's activity. A small shaded park is set aside for outdoor ceremonies, and the formal French gardens around the chapel give a setting for photographs. The cocktail can be served on the terrace, then dinner and dancing take place in the reception room.
The bridal room sits in the old building and is reached by a spiral staircase in cut stone. It has kept its fifteenth-century terracotta floor tiles and a fireplace, and its bathtub stands in the middle of the room.
Rooms and capacities
The main reception room covers 190 square meters and takes up to 140 people. The terrace, also 190 square meters, is raised above the grounds at the center of the estate and opens onto the entrance of the room. Outside, the gardens around the chapel, the shaded park for ceremonies and the pétanque ground complete the spaces. A private car park holds about 50 cars, with one space for a coach.
Accommodation
Four bedrooms are offered in the main building: the bridal room, a family room with a mezzanine for six, a room for three and a room for two. Breakfast is included.
More beds are available on the estate. Three studios facing the reception room each sleep five and can be booked by the night all year. Two holiday cottages in a former manor house each sleep five and are let by the night or the week, by the week only in July and August. The studios and cottages are booked through separate contacts listed on the site.
Catering
The estate does not run its own kitchen for events. Its partner page lists several caterers from the area. Organizers choose their own provider from that list or discuss another option with the owners.
The estate also produces wine. Christian Valensisi revived the vineyard in 2003. It covers 7 hectares at 350 meters of altitude, in the Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence appellation, harvested by hand and certified organic. Wine can be tasted and bought at the cellar.
History and setting
The building has been fully restored. Its first chapel dates from the ninth century and was built over a Roman temple. It became a place of pilgrimage because the spring that fed it was thought to be miraculous. Frescoes showing castles, fountains and Saint Bacchi himself can still be seen.
Getting there
The estate is in Jouques, postal code 13490, north of Aix-en-Provence. Guests usually arrive by car, and the coach space in the car park suits a group shuttle. Ask the owners for the best route and the nearest station for your guests.
