A former priory with nine centuries of history, listed as a historical monument in the Pays d'Auge sector, in the Calvados area - ref 325250
A former priory with nine centuries of history, listed as a historical monument in the Pays d'Auge sector, in the Calvados area.
Saint-Hymer, in the Calvados area in the region of Normandy, is a rural village scattered over a landscape of meadows, orchards and stud farms. The priory is located in an isolated hamlet. The town of Pont-l'Évêque, which can be reached in several minutes via the D16 road and A13 motorway, possesses shops, services and a market. Paris is within 2 hours 10 minutes from its railway station, while the Deauville-Normandie airport is 20 minutes away.
The property is made up of a monastic complex founded in the 11th century, where William the Conqueror installed a collegiate community of canons regular. Later, the site played host to the Benedictine monks of the Bec abbey, before becoming a Jansenist centre until the French Revolution. A white stone gateway with two doors, preceded by a caretaker's house, leads to the priory's grounds. A drive passes around the church's radiating chapel dotted with Gothic windows, forming a curve in front of the priory's southern wing that adjoins the southern branch of the transept. The white stone facade of the three-storey building is divided into nine vertical rows of openings beneath a roof of flat tiles. The ground floor and first floor are separated by a stringcourse and topped by a cornice and dormers on the roof. The drive then passes the south wing's gable end, arriving in front of the west wing, whose facade with eight vertical rows of openings is set back. A powerful vertical impression is given by the openings with imposing surrounds as well as straight lintels adorned with protruding keystones. The masonry is rendered in pink ochre between the vertical rows of openings. The west wing is completed by a ground floor level pavilion. The drive continues round to between the church and the northern facade of the west wing, where there is a cloister of which only two galleries remain. The arcades are made up of simple semi-circular arches resting on corbels, while the roof structure is a series of exposed trusses. A tall door leads into the church. Recent transformations of the two wings have been removed, leaving vast open spaces.
The rest of the property includes several outbuildings with half-timbering, including a press and a stone pavilion, as well as water features, fishponds, fountains, ponds and washhouses. The priory buildings, press, porch and caretaker's house are listed as historical monuments. The inn with a half-timbered facade is located to the west outside the priory's walls. It can be purchased additionally; its price is not included in the price displayed.
The prioryThe two wings that make up the living quarters form a T-shape. The vast volumes that the monks' living spaces used to occupy have undergone many transformations and have been progressively altered by unsuitable occupations. Today, these alterations from the past have been removed. The cob walls amid the half-timbering have also been removed, revealing ducting and wastewater pipes. Several features pay witness to the former splendour of the edifice, such as a staircase with a balustrade whose patterns are typical of the 18th century, a stone fireplace, small-paned wooden framed windows and period terracotta tiles.The caretaker's houseThis edifice is adjacent to the entrance porch and requires renovating. Its facade and roof are listed as historical monuments. It comprises a single section, topped by a hipped slate roof. Part of the rear facade facing the cemetery includes half-timbering, while the rest of the masonry is made up of rendered brick. The ground floor includes an entrance hall and two main rooms with exposed beams and joists. There is terracotta tiled flooring in the ...
