A former 13th-century hospice with outbuildings, on 5-hectare grounds, five minutes from a famous spa town, in the north of the Gers department - ref
A former 13th-century hospice with outbuildings, on 5-hectare grounds, five minutes from a famous spa town, in the north of the Gers department.
Located in the Gers department's "Little Tuscany" region, surrounded by rolling countryside, the property is seven kilometres from Lectoure, a spa town with a rich historical heritage as well as all essential services and amenities for daily life, while a renowned green market takes place every Friday morning.
A stop on the Way of St. James, the town enjoys a mild climate, renowned gastronomy and a number of cultural events, whereas Agen, 35 kilometres away, provides rail service to Paris in three hours and ten minutes via high-speed rail. In addition, the Toulouse and Bordeaux airports are 100 and 160 kilometres away, respectively, whereas the Atlantic Ocean and Pyrenees ski slopes are both less than 150 kilometres away.
From the B road, a gravel lane, 800 metres long, leads to the property, surrounded by fields and perched on the top of a hill. Sheltered from view, the dwelling faces a small valley, at the bottom of which the Esquère stream meanders its way around the estate's outbuildings, which, together, form an architectural complex once surrounded by an enclosure wall.
A municipal hospice in the 13th and 14th centuries, it was inhabited by Bishop Martin Gutteria de Pampelune's family as of 1450, before the main dwelling's floor area was doubled in the late 16th century and a staircase tower was added in the 17th century. As for its exteriors, featuring different types of stonework and a number of windows, which bear witness to these successive stages of construction and modifications, they are cadenced by several breath-taking geminated cross-windows, as well as arrow slits and murder holes, which have all been carefully preserved.
As for the main dwelling, using the rock of the hillside as its foundation, it has two storeys topped by a non-convertible attic level and constructed over a cellar hollowed out under the dwelling's central and oldest section. Crowned with a barrel tile gable roof over the main part of the dwelling and a flat tile roof for the tower, it exudes plenty of charm, while a patio with a swimming pool is buttressed by a tall stone wall to the south.
With two storeys under a roof considerably lower than the main dwelling, an initial oblong outbuilding, once used as a sheepfold, extends to the east, whereas a second outbuilding, located at a right angle, creates a U-shaped configuration around the courtyard with the main dwelling.
In addition, an immense open-air covered structure abuts the eastern side of this outbuilding, whereas, directly opposite and closing off the courtyard to the south, a single-storey outbuilding, once used to house the farm's animals, has suffered from fire damage to its roof, and, lastly, a natural spring, situated below the courtyard and surrounded by stones, flows into a small pond.
The DwellingWith a floor area of nearly 400 m², it features four massive main rooms on each level. As for the 17th-century staircase tower, it was once a dovecote and includes an entryway, with a beautifully-crafted stone floor and straight staircase, which provides access to the garden level and the upstairs floor, as well as the unconverted and non-insulated attic, while the dwelling still contains a number of original materials and details in each room, such as its terracotta tile floors, fireplaces, pointed stone walls, floor-to-ceiling heights of more than three metres, as well as massive ceiling beams.
The garden-level floor
Facing the courtyard, an eat-in kitchen, of approximately 30 m², comes with a wood-burning stove and a fireplace topped with a wooden lintel, while extending on from here is a room, currently used as a library, with a fireplace and a wood-burning stove, which communicates with the ...
