A priory from the 15th and 18th centuries with a landscaped garden and a 15th-century
church listed as a historical monument, nestled in a village near the city of Angers
church listed as a historical monument, nestled in a village near the city of Angers
Angers,
MAINE-ET-LOIRE
pays-de-loire
49000
FR
Location
The property lies in the historical Anjou province in France’s Pays de la Loire region, in a characterful village through which a small river flows. Many vineyards extend around this village, which is overlooked by one of the Anjou province’s largest chateaux. Indeed, the grounds of this chateau border the property. The village offers shops and amenities and a vibrant weekly market. The Loire Valley, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is very close. And the city of Angers with its high-speed train station is roughly 20 minutes away. From this station, you can get to Paris in 1 hour and 30 minutes by rail. The station offers around 10 return trips to the French capital each day. Not far away, you can also get onto the nearby A85 and A11 motorways.
Description
Two tuffeau stone pillars and a wrought-iron gate mark the property’s entrance. From there, a drive runs past a former parish church listed as a historical monument and leads up to the dwelling. You then see a north-facing facade with an adjoining tower. It is the facade of a former priory dating back the 15th century. Each of its gable ends is flanked with a pavilion that has a ground floor and a first floor and is crowned with a three-slope roof. The pavilion on the east side is extended with a wing through which a covered carriage entrance runs. The pavilion on the west side is extended with a wing that lies at a right angle to the dwelling’s rear elevation. These two sections house the annexes: former cowsheds, a workshop, a stable and a bakehouse. Slate roofs with dormers crown all the buildings. The dwelling’s northern elevation looks out at the garden that extends around the church. This garden is made up of lawns and trees. The southern elevation faces a formal garden. An ornamental pond lies in the middle of it. A secondary entrance takes you onto a drive that leads straight to a court edged with an outbuilding on one side and a barn on the other.
The priory
The priory is made of rubble and tuffeau stone. It elevations are lime-rendered. Its cornices and window and door surrounds are made of dressed tuffeau stone. This priory was built in the 15th century upon cellars. It has a ground floor, a first floor and a second floor in the roof space, which is a converted loft. In the 18th century, a pavilion with a ground floor and a first floor were added to each end of the dwelling and annexes were built as wings extending these pavilions. The staircase tower that adjoins the northern elevation dates back to the 19th century.
The ground floor
You step into a hallway with a small lounge area and the start of a wooden staircase. The floor of this hall is adorned with stone tiling patterned with small black square inserts of marble. On one side, the hallway connects to an office with a tuffeau stone fireplace, a terracotta-tiled floor and a door that leads out to the courtyard of annexes. The room connects to two bedrooms. One of them has wood strip flooring. These bedrooms have exposed beams and tuffeau stone fireplaces. Beside them, there is a shower room with a lavatory. On the other side, the entrance hall leads to a series of reception rooms that connect to one another. First, there is a lounge with a terracotta-tiled floor, a French-style beamed ceiling and a tuffeau stone fireplace. Next, there is a dining room with a floor of painted cement tiles, exposed beams and wooden panelling. After that, there is a small lounge with a terracotta-tiled floor, exposed beams and a tuffeau stone fireplace. Lastly, you reach a kitchen with a terracotta-tiled floor, exposed beams and a door that takes you to the covered carriage entrance. The dining room connects to a hallway that takes you to the staircase tower and a lavatory.
The first floor
Two staircases take you up to the first floor. This floor has four bedrooms with terracotta or wood-strip flooring. Three of the bedrooms have a fireplace. On the rest of the floor there are three shower rooms, two lavatories and a bathroom.
The second floor
Only the staircase in the entrance hall leads up to the second floor. This floor is a converted loft in the roof space. Up here, there are two bedrooms with terracotta-tiled floors, a hallway and a bathroom.
The outbuildings
In line with the kitchen, on the other side of the covered carriage entrance, there is a boiler room, a technical installations room and a garage workshop with a 100m² floor area. There is a loft in the top of this wing. In the wing that lies at a right angle to the dwelling, there is a cowshed with a 67m² floor area. It adjoins a bakehouse with a 25m² floor area. There is a loft in the top of this wing. Opposite the latter, on the other side of the court, there is a shelter with a 40m² floor area. Tuffeau stone pillars support it.
The old parish church
The old parish church dates back to the 11th century. Its elevations and roofing were modified in the 15th and 17th centuries. The edifice is made of rubble and tuffeau stone. Dressed tuffeau stone forms its quoins and door and window surrounds. A semi-circular chancel adjoins one end of the edifice. An outdoor flight of steps used to lead up to an upstairs room that has now disappeared. A tall gabled slate roof crowns the nave. And a rounded roof caps the chancel. Inside, a barrel-vaulted ceiling is covered with wooden boards. Some remnants of medieval paintwork can still be seen. The whole edifice is listed as a historical monument. It has a floor area of around 200m². The church has not been in use since the French Revolution.
The gardens
The northern drive runs through the first garden, past the church. This garden has a lawn with shrubs and trees of many different varieties, including a majestic red horse-chestnut. On the south side, there is a second garden. It is a French formal garden with paths that demarcate six sections. The first three sections are lawns lined with rose bushes. The other three sections are dotted with flowers, herbs and vegetables. One of these three sections is dotted with fruit trees. The main path has a first fountain where two paths meet. It ends with a second fountain beneath a tree tunnel. On its east and south sides, the garden is edged with a tree tunnel and a hedge of Leyland cypresses. Its west side is closed with an outbuilding that has a wall adorned with climbing roses.
Our opinion
This former priory is absolutely magnificent, evoking a cantata more than a requiem. Its centuries-old church, listed as a historical monument, is like an ode to the gentle lifestyle for which the Anjou province is well known. It is a token of the rich past of this beautiful corner of France. The splendid gardens and their flower-lined paths have been looked after by the current owners with great care. They underline the place’s atmosphere of calm and authenticity. The majestic dwelling was recently restored masterfully with respect for its most remarkable features. This unique haven would be a perfect home for a large family or the ideal venue for events, close to the charming city of Angers.
Reference 182482
| Land registry surface area | 7310 m2 |
| Main building surface area | 364 m2 |
| Number of bedrooms | 8 |
| Outbuilding surface area | 230 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.
