A king in the Dordogne. You don’t believe it yet it’s true. You may have heard of him without knowing his story: the king of Araucania. Even today, dozens of faithful organize the life of his “kingdom” and celebrate it every year in Tourtoirac. A ceremony was organized this Saturday in the Périgord village. In costumes and with decorations on all jackets, the faithful gathered for a mass and a tribute to King Antoine de Tounens. A celebration that may seem surprising but which is very serious.
Small bourgeois of Périgueux who became king in Patagonia
In 1860, Antoine de Tounens, a petty bourgeois living in Périgueux, go on an adventure to the Andes. He arrives in Patagonia, in southern Chile, and establishes a relationship with the Mapuchés, the Indians of the region. They call him “King of Araucania and Patagonia”. The new sovereign multiplies the round trips between France and Chile. The Chilean authorities take a dim view of it. He is taken prisoner several times before dying, ill, in 1878 in Tourtoirac. His body has since been buried in the village east of Périgueux. A statue sits next to the Abbey. The faithful laid a wreath in front of this Saturday.
– Lise Roos Weil
– Lise Roos Weil
Among the forty enthusiasts present this Saturday, there are “knights of the kingdom of Araucania” or “flag bearers of the kingdom”. The curious who pass a head in the car open wide eyes, incredulous in front of this ceremonial. Prince Frederic, eighth successor, however, does so in sobriety, he just wears a big necklace, with Mapouché stars. “We try to avoid anything folkloric or ridiculous, we prefer it to be a memorial tradition”, smiled the Prince.
“It’s sentimental, it’s Périgord, you have to be inflated, he was a super adventurer like there are no more
Bernard, who has family in Tourtoirac, takes part in this ceremony every year. “It’s sentimental, it’s Périgordhe exclaims. It’s an extraordinary story, the little lawyer from Périgueux who leaves everything, without a telephone and without diplomacy at the time, you have to be inflated, he was a super adventurer like there are no more. A Spanish club even fell in love with Antoine de Tounens, they made the trip for the occasion.
“The idea is to maintain his memory, he has an incredible story. He would have been American, there would be heaps of Westerns on him”, says Prince Frederic. A somewhat special prince…without a crown and who reigns over no territory.