A chateau from the 17th and 18th centuries with a 1,200m² floor area, 1,400m² of annexes,
a listed garden and 23 hectares of grounds, nestled in France’s Gers department
a listed garden and 23 hectares of grounds, nestled in France’s Gers department
Condom,
GERS
midi-pyrenees
32100
FR
Location
The property lies in France’s beautiful Gers department, in the country’s Occitania region. It is halfway between the cities of Bordeaux and Toulouse. The countryside here is bathed in golden natural light that recalls Tuscany. The local region, which offers a relaxing lifestyle, is renowned for its cultural vibrancy, its wealth of built heritage and its friendliness. The chateau is nestled just outside a quaint Gascon village and is only 10 minutes from the charming village of Montréal-du-Gers and a former episcopal town with 6,500 inhabitants – a stop on the Camino de Santiago pilgrims’ way. Schools and shops for everyday needs are just 10 minutes away by car. From the high-speed train station in the local city of Agen, less than 50 kilometres away, you can reach Paris in only 3 hours and 30 minutes. And the motorway linking Bordeaux and Toulouse together takes you to the international airports of these two cities very quickly.
Description
From a secondary road that snakes down a valley, among fields, groves and vineyards, a lane stretches towards a steeple that looks down over the handful of stone houses that make up the local village. The property’s discreet entrance comes into view at the last bend before the village. A stony lane, which you cannot even notice from the road, runs past trees to the chateau. The edifice can be seen through the arches of its tall, circular outer wall, which looks down at the moat. The remarkable home towers in its 23-hectare estate made up of fields, meadows and a listed French formal garden. These vast grounds are dotted with trees of many different varieties. There is a swimming pool set back at a lower level. It is hidden behind a double hedge through which a secret passageway has been made in tribute to the mazes that were created in gardens at the time of King Louis XIV of France. A discreet lane runs alongside the moat on the south side and leads to the back of the edifice, its land and outhouses. Once you have crossed the fixed stone bridge, you reach a grassy courtyard in the shade of tall trees, including a magnificent fragrant linden tree. This open space provides a comfortable area for the different buildings that surround it in a U shape. A well from 1622 with water stands in the court. And on a gravelled path, you can easily get around this outdoor space and to the wings that make up the edifice. From this splendid property, you can admire sweeping views through the arches: vistas of the undulating Gers countryside that appear like paintings. You can also see the property’s Italian-style garden, which is made up of successive ponds at different heights and which stretches eastwards.
The main building
Today’s main building was built upon an old castle that dated back to 1266. It was developed from 1606 by the Bezolles family under the supervision of the famous architect Pierre II Souffron – his signature on a keystone in the entrance hall bears witness to this. The chateau was the refuge of Louis Henri de Pardaillan de Gondrin, Marquis de Montespan. When the latter was exiled from the court of King Louis XIV of France, the chateau was again renovated and extended, at the end of the 17th century. The chateau was abandoned up to the 1970s and the current owner has devoted much of their life to restoring the property and bringing back its past splendour. The main edifice is made up of two wings with a ground floor, a first floor and a second floor. These two wings form an L shape, with a half-protruding pavilion in the corner where they meet. This half-protruding pavilion houses a grand staircase that connects to the reception rooms, which are spread out over the first and second floors. The facade’s stonework is rendered and punctuated with many tall, evenly spaced windows with cornices.
The first floor
Two entrance doors take you to the main edifice via a spectacular straight stone staircase. Above the main entrance door, which faces south, there is a pediment with ailerons, a stone garland and an oval bull’s-eye window. This entrance has preserved its original coffered double door made of oak. The lobby is bathed in natural light. It connects to a kitchen, a dining room, a lounge, three bedrooms and a bathroom in the 18th-century wing, as well as a library and two bathrooms in the adjoining wing that needs to be restored. From the first-floor landing, a glazed double door leads to a large hallway that connects to a kitchen and a dining room. This dining room looks westwards at the grounds and out at the French formal garden on the north side too. It has warm colours and a marble fireplace beneath a chimney breast with wrought-iron floral motifs. Two of the walls are lined with tall wooden units, which, with the terracotta floor tiles, create a Provençal ambience. On the other side of the lobby, in the grand lounge, fine mouldings that embellish a marble fireplace’s mantel pay tribute to the military role of the Duke of Antin. The elegance of the wall hangings here underline the refinement of this room’s decor. Straight ahead, a corridor connects to two bedrooms. The first one has parquet flooring with small black square inserts. This bedroom also has a lavatory. The second one has Versailles parquet and ornate plaster works that have been restored by a specialist craftsman. This bedroom leads out onto a terrace with a panoramic view, which explains the bedroom’s name: the Queen’s Bedroom. An adjoining bathroom lies behind a double door on the south side. In the east wing, there is a library with a hushed atmosphere. It features a monumental fireplace, terracotta floor tiles and a ceiling of polychrome beams with old decor bearing the family coat of arms. This decor was rediscovered by chance during renovation works.
The second floor
From the second-floor landing, you go through an imposing double door crowned with a stone pediment. This grand door leads to an extensive room: a 30-metre-long gallery with pale tones and blond pinewood strip flooring. It is a dual-aspect room with natural light coming in from the north and south sides. Ten tall, broad windows ensure that the gallery is filled with sunshine. Bespoke bookcases stand along the walls. A secret door leads to another world: a bedroom painted white with a storage space. It looks down at the grounds. A hidden staircase leads to a bathroom. Also in the wing that lies at a right angle, there is an apartment with a large bedroom and bathroom and an extra bedroom.
The third floor
On the third floor, you can see the roof’s wooden frame. You reach this third floor via a wooden staircase. Up here, there is a space that awaits a new purpose that you could choose for it. It is filled with natural light from dormers at the top of the tower. It looks down over the court. And you can admire a far-reaching view, stretching to the horizon, from this space too. From this third floor, you can also reach the attics of the two wings.
The annexes, including the theatre, the orangery and the kitchen
Spaces that used to be service annexes lie in parts of the ground floor, around the main courtyard. There is a theatre that needs to be restored. It was created in the 17th century. The Duke of Antin, the son of the Marquis de Montespan, ordered construction of it. It lies in the edifice’s north-west corner, hidden behind tall doors with a fresco. Molière’s theatre company apparently performed here. Another remarkable room in the chateau is a former guards’ kitchen that has been well preserved. It has a vaulted ceiling and bears witness to the past, with its monumental fireplace, its floor of stone slabs, its old stone cooker and its bread oven. The other annexes lie in the south wing, which houses workshops, a woodstore, lofts and several rooms in the two upper floors of the medieval construction that you reach via a stone spiral staircase in a protruding round tower.
The ground floor
The ground floor is made up of rooms that have remained faithful to their original purpose and old atmosphere. Through tall, glazed double doors with fanlights, they face a magnificent terrace with rose bushes and hydrangeas. This terrace looks down at the French formal garden.
The first floor
The first floor, which lies above the caretaker’s dwelling, is made up of three large rooms with remarkable features, including timber-framed walls, stone-mullioned windows and a monumental stone fireplace. These rooms connect to the bedrooms of the chateau’s noble apartments, which you can reach via a spiral staircase. They offer the chance to increase the chateau’s hosting capacity with the creation of extra suites or apartments.
The second floor
On the second floor, the spaces to be renovated and insulated lie just beneath the roof and have an exceptional ceiling height up to the roof ridge. They open on the other side of a bathroom.
The two self-contained dwellings
Two self-contained dwellings lie in two different wings of the chateau. The first one, known as “the caretaker’s dwelling”, offers a floor area of 115m². The second one, known as “the guesthouse”, adjoins the orangery and lies in the 18th-cenutry north wing. It offers a floor area of 95m². This dwelling requires some finishing touches. The two dwellings could keep their current purpose or be transformed into self-contained apartments for family or friends.
The caretaker’s house
You reach the so-called caretaker’s house from the court via a small door that leads into a lounge with a large fireplace. A basic kitchen leads to a closed court and a garage at the back of the edifice. Two rooms, including one used as a bedroom, complete this dwelling, which needs to be freshened up somewhat.
The guesthouse
The so-called guesthouse lies beneath high vaulted ceilings. It includes a lounge, a kitchen to be renovated that connects to the orangery, a bedroom with a basic shower room, and a lavatory. The dwelling could easily be extended through two existing doors that connect to a large room in line with the theatre.
The courtyard, the garden, the grounds and the swimming pool
In 1719, the Duke of Antin decided to modify the fortified wall that edged the main courtyard in order to tone down the chateau’s defensive appearance. The outer wall was more than halved in height and remodelled to include eight large openings with basket-handle arches, spread out on either side of a monumental entrance gate crowned with a pediment with volute ailerons. Straight ahead of the fixed stone bridge that stretches across the broad moat, there is an Italian-style garden that extends eastwards over different levels. On the north side of the chateau, a listed French formal garden lies just below a terrace that is finely demarcated with Louis XIV stone balusters. There is also a swimming pool, which is set back. It is 15 metres long and 6 metres wide. Hidden behind hedges, it enjoys absolute privacy. The grounds stretch unbroken into the surroundings, covering 23 hectares.
Our opinion
This majestic property is a rare gem that epitomises Gascon chateaux from the 17th and 18th centuries. It bears witness to France’s long history. Indeed, its decorative and architectural features, which are astonishingly refined, are tokens of this rich past and of the famous figures of the court of King Louis XIV of France who left their mark on the place. These figures included the Marquis de Montespan and the Duke of Antin, who lived in this chateau. The splendid haven is the promise of grand receptions and a pleasant lifestyle in a unique backdrop. Inside the edifice, which is perched upon an outcrop demarcated with a remarkable semicircular outer wall, the home is cosy and original. The delightful interior even makes you forget about the vast outdoor spaces that form the grounds. Time stands still here. This enchanting citadel will inspire you. It opens up an endless range of possibilities.
Reference 215512
| Land registry surface area | 23 ha 2 a 94 ca |
| Main building surface area | 1200 m2 |
| Number of bedrooms | 9 |
| Outbuilding surface area | 1450 m2 |
| including refurbished area | 780 m2 |
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NB: The above information is not only the result of our visit to the property; it is also based on information provided by the current owner. It is by no means comprehensive or strictly accurate especially where surface areas and construction dates are concerned. We cannot, therefore, be held liable for any misrepresentation.
