More about residencies
The residency
The Hôtel Sainte Valière is a historic 19th century house, known as a “folie vigneronne,” in the small village of Sainte Valière, in the wine-growing region of the Minervois. As an arts residency it is ideally suited to writing, drawing, painting, composing, dreaming, researching and exploring. The house is calm and quiet, and each of the four resident’s rooms is spacious and comfortable, with a double bed, large work table, views onto the village or the garden, and a private bathroom. There is a library upstairs with views out over the rooftops, and two downstairs drawing rooms. One of these drawing rooms can be used as a painting studio, the other has a piano. The purpose of our residency is to allow you to fully concentrate on your work, at the rhythm that suits you best.
The house
The house has three stories. On the ground floor are the two drawing rooms, a large equipped kitchen, and the gardens and terrace. On the first floor are three resident’s rooms. On the top floor are your hosts’ rooms, a further resident’s room, and the library with views out over the rooftops. Residents are free to work in the downstairs living rooms and upstairs library should they wish to do so.
Getting about
Sainte Valière is a 25 minute drive from Narbonne. We can drive you to and from Narbonne station, the fee is 25€ per trip, or you can take a taxi (70€), or a bus (Citibus ligne 19). Please aim to arrive into and leave Narbonne between 9am and 6pm. Driving you there at dawn is not an option, you will need to stay the night in the town of your flight/train. After dinner arrivals/ departures can be negotiated with your host. Please note that train tickets are available three months in advance at www.oui.sncf/en/. Last minute tickets are significantly more expensive and it can be worth buying refundable tickets early even if you are not yet sure of your attendance. We provide an automatic car, a Peugeot 205, for your use. If you plan to use the car, please ensure your travel insurance covers you driving. You pay for your petrol, plus a mini-fee (between 2€ and 15€ depending on the distance travelled) per trip to cover the use of the car. We have bicycles at your disposal, as well as maps and recommendations for good restaurants, markets, towns, sites, swim spots and beaches to visit. There are many short walks around the village, and longer walks (3-4k) will take you to neighbouring villages, the Camino, and the Canal du Midi, along which you can walk or cycle. There are wild river swim spots around 6k away. A bus will take you into Narbonne twice a day, and from Narbonne the rail system will take you anywhere you wish to go.
Partners/Children
Should you wish to bring a partner or children please contact us and we will decide on a case by case basis.
Meals
The residency is largely self-catering, except on the night you arrive and then on occasion, when we prepare a meal for the artists (20€ pp including drinks). If there is a chef in residence during your stay, a meal is proposed every second night, we will let you know in advance if this is the case. We cook mostly Mediterranean and classic French fare, using local and organic ingredients whenever possible, which is most of the time. Please let us know in advance of any special dietary requirements. There is a grocery store in the village with basic goods and coffee and fresh bread in the mornings. The closest supermarket is 8km away. You have a resident’s pantry and fridge to store your food, and a car for shopping. There are many cheap and cheerful restaurants in the neighbouring villages.
Presentation
Should you wish to stage a public presentation of your work (reading, concert, exhibition) in the house, we will gladly organise this, contact the local press, and publicise the event on our website and social media. Presentation is generally to a small but enthusiastic village crowd. Each Thursday evening, we host a small event (the Apéro du jeudi), where people from the village drop in to meet the artists, see or hear their work, and share a glass of wine and some home-made snacks. We offer both spoken and written translation services, and the town hall will print out anything you need, including colour prints up to A3 size, at no charge. During your residency, photos will be taken of you, at work, at dinner etc, and the best ones will be published on our website and on social media, do let us know if you prefer us not to do so. At the end of your stay you will be asked to write a short review of your time with us.
Fees 2025
- May & June: 450 € per person per week
- July – October: 475 € per person per week
The residency fees include accommodation, utilities, high speed internet, firewood, use of the house, garden, bicycles, car and communal facilities. Residents are expected to leave the communal living spaces as they found them, and you are responsible for the house-keeping of your own room. Should you wish to present your work, the time we devote to this is also included.
Insurance
Hôtel Sainte Valière has public liability insurance covering the totality of the Residency period. Artists are responsible for their own insurances (health, travel, public liability and other).
Climate
Sainte Valière benefits from a Mediterranean climate, and the months of May, June, September and October are generally very pleasant. In early May and late October it can be chilly at night, but is still usually warm during the day (20 degrees), and in from June until September it can be quite hot (30 + degrees). Spring is asparagus, cherry, strawberry and wildflower season, September is harvest season; grapes, figs, nuts, blackberries, woodfires.
To apply
We are now accepting applications for our May, June, September and October residencies 2025, and for 2026.
To apply, send a brief description of your project and the dates you would like to attend to Eloise at eloise@hotelsaintevaliere.com.
Support
Although we cannot currently provide grants, we are happy to provide official documents and letters of invitation for artists wishing to find third-party grant support or other funding for a residency. We are also very happy to discuss your specific project requirements with you and will do our best to accommodate your needs, so do not hesitate to contact us in this regard.
