A listed 18th-century chateau with medieval origins, outhouses and grounds, tucked away on the hills of France's DrĂ´me department, in the south-east o
A listed 18th-century chateau with medieval origins, outhouses and grounds, tucked away on the hills of France's DrĂ´me department, in the south-east of the country.
The property lies in the north of France's Drôme department. It looks out over the valley of the River Herbasse. From the chateau, you can admire far-reaching vistas of landscapes that form a patchwork of orchards, woods and meadows. This unspoilt bucolic environment is dotted with old dwellings and farms. The local village offers shops and amenities for everyday life. The nearby towns of Romans-sur-Isère and Valence are vibrant economic and cultural hubs. You can reach them easily. You can also get to the cities of Lyon and Grenoble in less than an hour by car via the A7 motorway. From a high-speed train station in Valence, you can get to Paris in just over two hours by rail. And Lyon and Grenoble international airports offer flights too.
The chateau and its outhouses form a coherent series of buildings in the middle of tree-dotted grounds, which lie slightly above the road that leads to the local village. The chateau is rectangular in shape with an adjoining tower at each corner and a square keep that adjoins the northern elevation. It offers a 720m² floor area and has a ground floor, a first floor, a second floor and a third floor. Multi-sloped roofs with old tiles bear witness to successive construction projects on the edifice. The stone elevations display pale-ochre pointing. They are punctuated with both evenly spaced windows and older openings too, reflecting the edifice's evolution over the centuries. A straight driveway runs through the grounds to the outhouses, which are set back. There is a former stable, an orangery, a barn and a woodstore. They are arranged around a courtyard. Tall trees form a natural barrier that separates the chateau from its immediate surroundings. A vast terrace stretches southwards and a landscaped garden slopes gently down to lower land. The whole complex was designed as a seigneurial estate but on a limited scale, with each building playing a role in a well-structured arrangement.
The chateauThe chateau is listed as a historical monument. It is one of the main attractions in built heritage in the local region. Back in the 10th century, a motte-and-bailey castle stood on this site. Over the course of the 12th and 13th centuries, this castle became a veritable fortress. Later, at the end of the Middle Ages, in was extensively redesigned. And in the 17th century it became a pleasure chateau. Indeed, the edifice reflects social and architectural evolutions over the course of many centuries. In the 20th century, it successively belonged to different families. Then, in the early 2000s, it was gradually abandoned. Since 2019, major renovation work has breathed new life into this remarkable monument.
The ground floor
Beyond the entrance door, which has kept its medieval structure, the ground floor is arranged around a central hallway with a double vault forming a cross and a terrazzo floor embellished with a dolphin-tail motif in the middle. On the right, there is a smoking room. Straight ahead, there is a dining room with a monumental fireplace, finely carved wooden panelling, three sideboards and a terrazzo floor. It connects to a medieval kitchen with a stone floor. This kitchen, which has remained intact, has a large fireplace, a roasting spit, an old five-burner stove, a chopping table and a stone sink. On the left, there is a grand 18th-century staircase made of tuffeau stone. It is filled with natural light from stained-glass windows bearing the Savoy cross coat of arms. These stairs lead up to the first floor. In one of the towers, a spiral staircase leads to all the floors. A storeroom, a separate lavatory and a cellar complete the ground floor.
The first floor
The first floor ...
