A former leper colony from the 12th century with a garden and annexes, nestled
in France’s Ardèche department in a village that overlooks the River Rhône
in France’s Ardèche department in a village that overlooks the River Rhône
Bourg-Saint-Andéol,
ARDECHE
rhones-alps
07700
FR
Location
This property, nestled in the River Rhône valley in the south of France’s beautiful Ardèche department, was a leper colony in the Middle Ages. It lies beside a stream, the River Tourne. This stream flows into the majestic River Rhône. The property is just a few kilometres from the picturesque village of Vallon-Pont-d'Arc and Chauvet Cave – one of the world’s most significant prehistoric art sites. The A7 motorway and the city of Montélimar with its high-speed train station are only around 30 minutes from the property by car. On the major roads and trainlines nearby, you can quickly reach the south of France, as well as the cities of Lyon and Paris. Indeed, from Montélimar, Lyon is just 1 hour and 30 minutes away by rail and the French capital is only 3 hours away by train.
Description
This leper colony used to lie outside the town. The town dates back to Celtic Gaul. The Romans extended the town to develop trade on the River Rhône. The house’s oldest section was built in around 1158. King Louis IX of France – Saint Louis – stopped here with some lepers on his way back from the Crusades. Later, a doctor who worked in the court of King Louis XIII of France turned the leper colony into a hospital, which was run by nuns for 150 years. Following the French Revolution, the local town council parted with the property, which was then resold several times, before being bought in 1922 by the family that currently owns it. The main house and its annexes, which could be connected together, offer a total floor area of 780m². The plot covers around 1,180m². The main roof is hipped. The other roofs are lower and have single slopes. All the roofs are covered with barrel tiles that are typical of the local region and are underlined with double-row or triple-row génoise cornices. The stone elevations are plain and coated with rendering. On the street side, a stringcourse marks the separation between the ground floor and the first floor. On the garden side, ashlar forms the slightly protruding window surrounds, some of which are coated in a lighter hue than the elevation’s tone. The windows are slightly arched, except on the ground floor, where the openings are rectangular and fitted with French windows. The window frames have small or large panes. Some of the glazed doors have fanlights. Almost all of the windows and glazed doors are fitted with wooden louvred shutters that are painted white. Different entrance doors lead into the house. You can enter the house from the garden through glazed doors or from the street via a double door of solid wood beneath a fanlight with a wrought-iron grate with a motif of circles and semicircles. The entrance doors that lead into the annexes only face the street.
The main house
Since the 12th century, this house has gone through the centuries untroubled. It was restored in the 1920s by the forebears of the current owners. The flooring varies from one room to the next, which adds to its charm. The floor tiling was produced by the local manufacturer F. Lauzun, a firm well established in the region for decades and which partners with the famous French cement manufacturer Lafarge, a company that also originated in the local region.
The ground floor
A vaulted hallway that gives the medieval house character connects to a small office. This vaulted hallway also connects to a spacious second hall that leads to a vast kitchen with a dining area that has a floor of tiles laid in a black and white checked pattern and to a former chapel with a small altar hidden in a cupboard. A little lounge lies opposite it. The second hall also leads out into the garden. From this hall, a grand stone staircase with a wrought-iron balustrade leads up to the first floor where there are bedrooms. Each room has its own pattern of floor tiles of different sizes and colours.
The first floor
At the top of the stairs, there is a vast landing beneath a ceiling of exposed beams and joists. This landing connects to a large lounge with a fireplace of grey-mottled white marble. Its ceiling was raised in the early 20th century – a common practice back then – and embellished with mouldings. There are also four bedrooms up here. Each one offers a floor area of over 20m². And there is a bathroom at the end of a corridor. From this corridor, a door leads to a staircase that takes you up to the second floor. Herringbone parquet extends across the landing, corridor, lounge and two of the bedrooms. The other rooms have tiled floors.
The second floor
You reach the second floor via a hidden staircase. Up here, a hallway connects to four bedrooms. Each bedroom offers a floor area of around 20m². These bedrooms have tiled floors. Exposed beams run across their ceilings. There are also four loft spaces on this top floor. They have floors of terracotta tiles, beneath the exposed beams of the roof frame. You can also see the roof tiles at the top of these spaces. Each of these loft spaces offers a floor area of around 40m².
The small dwelling
There is a small dwelling to the left of the main house. Beneath a fanlight, a glazed wooden door painted green leads inside. On the ground floor, this small dwelling has a kitchen with a floor of tiles laid in a red and white checked pattern. Upstairs, there are two bedrooms with wood strip flooring, a conservatory and a bathroom.
The annexe
The annexe stands to the right of the main house. It has a ground floor and a first floor. It has been converted into a self-contained dwelling. On the ground floor, there is a scullery and a lavatory. There is also a spacious dining room with a floor patterned with white, grey and red tiles, a stone fireplace painted white and adorned with grey tiles, and a kitchenette demarcated by a breakfast bar. Upstairs, there are two bedrooms, a bathroom and a terrace that overlooks the river.
The garden
The garden is divided into two sections. The first one lies in the shade of a tall tree. Many clusters of trees and a central pond embellish this space. On one side, to the right of the pond, there is an old fountain with a fine mosaic with a foliage motif. The first section is closed off with a wrought-iron gate with volutes. This iron gate leads to a former vegetable patch, beside which there is an old windmill and a covered well. At the end, there is a round pond. It is supplied with water from the River Tourne. Next to the old vegetable patch there is a parking area and a covered garage in which two cars can be parked. The whole garden has lush lawns and is dotted with flowers. It makes the property a true haven of calm.
Our opinion
This property’s remarkable 800-year-old edifice stands proudly on its splendid grounds. It would delight any history-lover wanting to give a gem of built heritage a bright future. The house survived the French Revolution. And for the past hundred years, it has belonged to the same family. This family has worked tremendously on the property's upkeep: the edifice’s old embellishments and medieval features have been preserved well and showcased masterfully. The property is a stone’s throw from shops and amenities for everyday needs in the town centre. Its garden is lush and calm. Inside the house, there are many spacious rooms. The adjoining annexes could be connected to the main house to recreate its original scale and splendour. Some renovation work on the edifice is needed.
490 000 €
Fees at the Vendor’s expense
Reference 977028
| Land registry surface area | 957 m2 |
| Main building surface area | 600 m2 |
| Number of bedrooms | 7 |
| Outbuilding surface area | 180 m2 |
Aucune procédure en cours menée sur le fondement des articles 29-1 A et 29-1 de la loi n°65-557 du 10 juillet 1965 et de l’article L.615-6 du CCH
Share
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.
