A restored presbytery, a mill, vestiges of a former fortress and
converted outbuildings on grounds of nearly 9 hectares, located within an ecovillage
converted outbuildings on grounds of nearly 9 hectares, located within an ecovillage
Châtillon-Coligny,
LOIRET
center-val-de-loire
45230
FR
Location
To the south of Ile-de-France, within the Centre-Val de Loire region, the property is located in a Loiret village of 2,000 inhabitants, on the edge of the Yonne department. 130 kilometres away from the capital, the property is accessible via the A77 motorway or the N7 A road, as well as by train from the Paris-Gare-de-Lyon and Paris-Bercy train stations in one hour. Traversed by the Briare canal, it can also be reached by boat from the canals of the Seine, while its many waterways and famous Loire landscapes create the backdrop for its considerable architectural heritage made up of chateaus, mills, churches and chapels. Surrounded by forests, the property is located near a national arboretum of approximately 35 hectares as well as Remarkable Gardens of France. In addition, the cities of Gien, Briare, La Buissière, Sully-sur-Loire and Montargis are also nearby, while the estate benefits from an exceptional environment, combining nature with urban comforts.
Description
Upon exiting a village, the property is located at the end of a valley, surrounded by several illustrious estates, wooded parcels and pastures. Bordered by the Briare canal – 55 kilometres long – as well as inlets, outer walls and verdant hedges, the contiguous tree-filled property contains nearly 9 hectares. From the road, tall, automated gates open onto a drive that leads to the different buildings, which include a caretaker’s cottage near the entrance, a guesthouse, outbuildings and former stables, while behind the different buildings, gardens with water features provide a bucolic backdrop for the whole.
The main dwelling, a former presbytery from the 17th century, stands on a verdant esplanade of approximately one hectare. Rectangular in shape and flanked by a cylindrical corner tower, it has two floors under an attic level. With approximately 300 m² of floor area, the main building is topped with a hipped Mansard roof, while the tower is crowned with a pepperpot turret, the two both covered in antique tiles. In addition, the building’s façades are clad in lime-pointed stone and punctuated with large-paned windows of different shapes and sizes, all safeguarded by louvred shutters, except for its bull’s-eye windows, while its window and door surrounds, excluding those for the gable and hipped dormer windows on the roof, are in brick. Lastly, cornices in ashlar stone for the tower and brick for the main building add the final touches to the façades.
The property also includes a mill built in the 19th century and its outbuildings, which are located not far from the waterway that traverses the grounds. The Loing River, rich with abundant aquatic biodiversity, divides a vast pasture in two, while a small peninsula still conceals the vestiges of a former fortress with moats, an outer wall and towers built out of limestone, flint, rubble stone and ashlar stone, which date back to the 13th century.
The main dwelling, a former presbytery from the 17th century, stands on a verdant esplanade of approximately one hectare. Rectangular in shape and flanked by a cylindrical corner tower, it has two floors under an attic level. With approximately 300 m² of floor area, the main building is topped with a hipped Mansard roof, while the tower is crowned with a pepperpot turret, the two both covered in antique tiles. In addition, the building’s façades are clad in lime-pointed stone and punctuated with large-paned windows of different shapes and sizes, all safeguarded by louvred shutters, except for its bull’s-eye windows, while its window and door surrounds, excluding those for the gable and hipped dormer windows on the roof, are in brick. Lastly, cornices in ashlar stone for the tower and brick for the main building add the final touches to the façades.
The property also includes a mill built in the 19th century and its outbuildings, which are located not far from the waterway that traverses the grounds. The Loing River, rich with abundant aquatic biodiversity, divides a vast pasture in two, while a small peninsula still conceals the vestiges of a former fortress with moats, an outer wall and towers built out of limestone, flint, rubble stone and ashlar stone, which date back to the 13th century.
A Little History
Recognised as of the 12th century as a place of worship, the presbytery housed a community of at least 120 people. Despite the context of the Hundred Years War, the priory of the parish estate endured this tumultuous time with a prior-priest and a vicar. For nearly 200 years, within the fiefdom of the Colignys, the village flourished architecturally, commercially and even religiously. However, in the 16th century, Gaspard II de Coligny and his brothers disrupted the established order by actively supporting the Reformation, which developed in France under Calvin’s influence. Closely linked to the Admiral de Coligny, the lords of the estate turned towards Calvinism for many years.
Regarding the vestiges of the fortress, the first mention of the chateau dates back to 1240. Destroyed in 1359, the fiefdom was re-established in 1462.
The Presbytery
The ground floor
With a floor area of approximately 130 m², this level contains a vast vestibule, from where a spiral oak staircase with a wooden handrail and wrought-iron railing leads upstairs. In addition, a second spiral wooden staircase, accessible via the service entrance, is located in the tower.
The main entrance hall leads to a bedroom with a shower room and lavatory, while one of its exposed stone walls has been fitted with a large wooden wardrobe and a marble fireplace. The kitchen, decorated with ornately crafted wainscoting, is equipped with an ancient wood-fired stove. Following on from here is a storeroom, a laundry room-lavatory and a mudroom, accessible from the building’s rear façade facing the mill. A double living room, extending from the tower into part of the main building with a floor area of 65 m², includes a marvellous marble fireplace topped with a chimneybreast picture window on one end, as well as a faience stove on the other, while a wooden cupboard and a wall niche provide the final finishing touches. Bathed in light throughout, this level has square or hexagonal terracotta-tile floors, white-painted walls and exposed ceiling beams.
The upstairs
With a floor area of approximately 140 m², the space is divided into three bedrooms with bathrooms or shower rooms and lavatories. In the tower, a main suite with a marble fireplace includes a bathroom decorated with sea green Gien ceramic faience tiles. With stone fireplaces, exposed stone or white-painted walls and visible ceiling beams in all the bedrooms, the floors are covered in hexagonal terracotta tiles or hardwood.
The attic
With a floor area of approximately 125 m², this level is divided into two sections. On one side, bathed in light, a vast office with a terracotta-tile floor of approximately 40 m² is located in the tower, while the ceiling’s framework is composed of a metallic structure designed by the current occupant, the engineer-builder Henri Desquenne. On the other side, an insulated attic space of approximately 90 m² is currently used to store archives, but is just waiting to be converted into another living space.
The Caretaker's Cottage
With a floor area of approximately 130 m², the cottage has two floors. Topped with an antique tile gable roof, the caretaker’s cottage is made out of stone and covered in plaster. In addition, bricks are used to accentuate its various window and door surrounds, while a large paved patio abuts the garden-side façade. The ground floor includes an entrance hall, living room, fitted, open kitchen, storeroom, bedroom with bathroom and lavatory, while the insulated attic space has been converted into a living space with its own washbasin.
The Guesthouse
With one floor of approximately 100 m², the guesthouse is also made out of stone, covered in plaster and topped with an antique tile gable roof. Inside, the space is divided into an entrance hall that leads to the garden, a kitchen, living room and two bedrooms, including one with a bathroom and lavatory.
The Outbuildings
These buildings, all built out of stone and topped with roofs covered in local tiles, have a total floor area of approximately 930 m².
Rectangular in shape, with a floor area of approximately 445 m², the stone mill has two floors and is topped with an interlocking tile gable roof, while its door and window surrounds are highlighted in brick. Its ground floor of nearly 170 m² includes two sections, one open and one enclosed, which are made up of various workshops and rooms where the mill’s hydraulic machinery, wheels and winnowing apparatus are located, while a working turbine could produce electricity if need be. The upstairs floor is divided into two areas of nearly 175 m² and 100 m², respectively, and the wooden rafters have been left exposed throughout.
The property also includes a former sheepfold, stables, an open storage facility, garages and woodsheds.
The Grounds
Traversed by a waterway, the current of which has shaped the landscape, including the mill run and the spillways on its industrial inlet, the grounds are planted with a variety of trees: an ancient horse chestnut and sweet chestnut, oaks, beeches, ashes, poplars, weeping willows, limes, pines, flowering trees and other conifers, which open up to provide breath-taking views. Cadenced by water, different shades of green predominate the landscape, while copses and shrubs shelter a diverse fauna of mainly birds and deer.
Gardens and a grassy pathway are perfect for daydreaming and strolling, while the former 13th-century fortress is an open-air jewel where performances are often organised. In addition, the property also includes a pasture of approximately 4 hectares.
Our opinion
The presbytery on this multi-century, one-of-a-kind property located within a natural and preserved environment, is recognisable from the other buildings, all built with the same materials, thanks to its recent restoration, some of which is still on-going.
In addition to the religious buildings, the tower and former fortified castle create an incredible ensemble that has been take care of with great pride by its current owners for the past century.
Although only several dozen kilometres from Paris, the property still enjoys a certain amount of tranquillity, without being completely isolated, which will make it possible for its future owners to live here with all the comforts of the landed nobility who once called this countryside home.
995 000 €
Fees at the Vendor’s expense
Reference 103237
| Land registry surface area | 8 ha 9 a 22 ca |
| Main building surface area | 307 m2 |
| Number of bedrooms | 4 |
| Outbuilding surface area | 930 m2 |
| including refurbished area | 228 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.
