An approximately 325-m² former presbytery awaiting renovation, with an inner courtyard, in the centre of Béziers, on an esplanade - ref 530052
An approximately 325-m² former presbytery awaiting renovation, with an inner courtyard, in the centre of Béziers, on an esplanade.
The city is located on the Mediterranean edge of the Occitanie region and south of the HĂ©raut area, on a promontory that is one of the last foothills of the Massif Central, overlooking the banks of the River Orb, the Canal du Midi and vineyards that once were among the greatest in the world. The Mediterranean Sea is 12 kilometres away, while the Haut-Languedoc mountains are 50 kilometres away.
BĂ©ziers is a hub for transport routes: in addition to the waterways of the River Orb and Canal du Midi, it is located at the crossroads of two motorways, namely the A9 between the RhĂ´ne Valley and Spain as well as the A75 through the Massif Central. By road, BĂ©ziers is 181 kilometres from Toulouse, 72 km from Montpeillier and 232 kilometres from Marseille. It is near to four airports: BĂ©ziers-Cap d'Agde, Montpellier 40 minutes away, Carcassonne and Perpignan, less than 1 hour away. It also has a high-speed TGV station on the Paris-Montpellier-Perpignan railway.
The presbytery is at the very tip of the acropolis in BĂ©ziers, to the south of the old town, outside its walls, several hundred metres from the medieval ramparts. Remains of the Roman arenas can be seen very close by.
The residence is opposite a large esplanade on which plane trees provide shade, in a dominant position with uninterrupted views of the lower parts of the city, the Orb Valley and the Pyrenees on the horizon.
The façade of this three-storey building, standing next to the entrance to the church, is rendered and has four low-arched openings containing a door as well as three windows on the ground floor, all made of wood, five windows on the first floor and the same number on the second floor, on which they are smaller and can be found in rectangular openings. The panelled, painted, wooden door with a fanlight window is surrounded by a moulded door frame and is topped by an entablature with a central key stone, all of which are ribbed or sculpted. It can be reached by three stone steps and has a painted metal guard-rail on either side. All the windows on the top two storeys are fitted with white-painted wooden shutters, while those on the ground floor are protected by metal railings. Light streams into the edifice's rooms thanks to its west-facing aspect and many windows. Lastly, as is customary in the region, the roof is made of half-round tiles, which is underlined by a denticulated cornice, echoed in more sober fashion by two belt courses on the lower levels.
The former presbytery
The ground floor
This level can be reached directly from street level via three steps. The entrance door opens into a central hall which leads on each side to two large, west-facing lounges with sculpted marble fireplaces. They are followed by a kitchen to the left with a window overlooking a neighbouring garden. The floors are mainly paved with glazed sandstone tiles. There are two lavatories on this level. To the right, a corridor leads to the tree-lined, partially cemented courtyard, which, to the rear of the residence, is adjacent to the church. The trees provide welcome shade for this modest outside space.
From the stairwell, a door under the staircase leads to the two cellars, both of which have rammed earth floors.
Lastly, to the rear of the entrance hall, a hallway leads to a right-angled, spiral staircase with a wrought iron balustrade leading to the two upper floors.
The first floor
The landing on the second level opens onto a vast hallway leading to three bedrooms with marble fireplaces, three shower rooms with lavatories and a bathroom. The flooring on this level alternates between laminate flooring for two bedrooms and linoleum for a shower room and the bathroom. In the master bedroom, the moulding, stucco, wood ...
