In the Die area of the Drôme, a medieval castle extravagantly extended in the 16th and 17th centuries, listed as a historical monument, with outbuildi
In the Die area of the Drôme, a medieval castle extravagantly extended in the 16th and 17th centuries, listed as a historical monument, with outbuildings, a cold room, pond and 7 hectares of grounds.
This property is located in the Rhône Valley and in the south of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, in the heart of the Drôme area, in front of the Vercors' foothills and bordered by the River Gervanne, in a village of medieval origin, 45 kilometres southeast of Valance, away from major road networks and their disturbances. The municipality is located in the south of the Vercors regional natural park, not far from the Saoû Forest and the Grand Barry wildlife reserve.
All the essential amenities of modern life can be reached easily. Furthermore, the property is around 30 minutes from the A7 motorway and 45 minutes from a high-speed TGV train station, from both of which the south of France and Lyon or Paris can be reached.
The first castle, near to Die, was built in the 12th century to protect the valley from French incursions into what was the independent principality of the Dauphiné at the time, before this territory was sold to France by the treaty of Romans in 1349.
Further castle buildings were erected in the 15th and 16th centuries to form a feudal defensive edifice, based around a 13th-century keep. It is quadrilateral in shape, flanked by four towers, and surrounds a vast, square, main courtyard. From the 16th century to the French Revolution, the building belonged to the Grammont family, originally from Navarre, and then the Labretonnière family until 1948. Under the Grammont ownership, it was gradually transformed into a home boasting all the comfort typical of the 17th century.
It was then well maintained by the various following occupants, who set about furnishing the vast dwelling with antique furniture in order to restore the spirit of its beginnings.
The building has retained some pre-16th century elements, such as the bakehouse, the southwest tower with its vertical arrow slit windows, the north tower and its machicolations, the monumental staircase, the 17th-century windows and decorated ceilings. The various wings have been fully restored, in keeping with modern standards and according to the possibilities allowed by the regional directorate of cultural affairs. The roof, façades and heating system have been entirely renovated.
Among the estate's distinctive features are parts full of history, such as the kitchens, bakehouse, archbishop's quarters and chapel, as well as the carefully maintained grounds, pond and cold room.
The east and south wingsThe east wing can be reached by the castle's inner courtyard. The entrance door is in the same alignment as the castle's wooden entrance gate and the octagonal stone fountain standing in the middle of the mostly gravelled courtyard. The three-story, Renaissance era, eastern façade features mainly low-arched windows laid out symmetrically in relation to the central axis where the entrance door stands. Some of the windows are trompe-l'oil, while others have small wood framed panes. Above the door, the façade is topped by a pediment with a blocked oculus in its centre. Like the other elevations, it is soberly enhanced by quoins and window frames in ashlar, a moulded belt course and a quadruple genoise corbel, which is triple on the north and south towers. Lastly, its distinctive feature that makes it stand out from the rest of the building is its yellow rendering that contrasts with the green glazed tiles on the square towers at each of the façade's extremities.
The two-story south façade is made of pointed rubble stone and has less openings than the other two. In the two wings, there are four independent apartments. The floor in the main rooms is made of antique wood stripped flooring, while the corridors and halls are paved with period terracotta ...
