Traditional house for sale - Saintes 17100

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Descriptif du bien

MARVELOUS ROMANESQUE ABBEY AND ITS NEOCLASSICAL CASTLE - A great story of humanity - On one of the pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela - Former site of holy relics - Endangered heritage - 12th-century Romanesque abbey - Elegant early 19th-century neoclassical castle - Superb 50-hectare park, all in one block, free-standing - River - Miraculous fountain. Listed and classified as a Historic Monument. Saintes, Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Founded in 1137, this Cistercian abbey on the Way of Saint James preserves a rare 12th-century abbey chapel with a beautiful Romanesque-Byzantine façade. In a rare, undisturbed, 50-hectare environmental haven, traversed by a river and the remains of a Cistercian hydraulic system, this property also includes a very elegant early 19th-century neoclassical château, very large and tall 19th-century farm buildings with exceptional architecture, and the remains of a medieval mill. The complex is in urgent need of restoration. Facing the sober semicircular entrance gate, at the end of an avenue of majestic, ancient plane trees, stands the very elegant neoclassical château, built around 1840, overlooking the U-shaped courtyard enclosed by stone balustrades. On one side, it features a sumptuous 19th-century agricultural shed with monumental architecture, and on the other, the 12th-century Romanesque abbey chapel with its sumptuous façade. The 12th century abbey chapel has a simple basilica plan, which has been shortened in depth as evidenced by the truncated dome of the choir. The particularly beautiful and harmonious façade has three rows of arcades decorated with wolf teeth above a large engraved pediment IHS installed by the Jesuits managing the abbey estate in the 17th and 18th centuries. Inside, the volume is impressive, we descend into the stone-paved chapel by a grand staircase, the vaulted ceiling was decorated with disappeared domes, one of which has been replaced by a pyramid, topped on the outside by the pincers holding a nail of the Cross of Christ. The bays are small, vaulted in a semicircular arch, with beautiful monochrome stained glass windows with typically Cistercian geometric figures. The right side of the chapel bears the traces of the covered gallery of the cloister. This church is listed as a Historic Monument and underwent renovations in 2022 by the Ministry of Culture. The château was built after 1832, probably around 1840, on the foundations of an 18th-century building, in a neoclassical style typical of the Restoration, partly in large stonework, with particularly careful architecture revived at the beginning of the 20th century in a most elegant Louis XVI style. On the park side, it boasts a very beautiful symmetrical façade with 11 bays around a central avant-corps topped by a pediment and adorned with a portico with Doric columns giving access to the entrance hall, all under an attic floor and a balustrade concealing the roof. On the courtyard side, the building is L-shaped; the particularly careful architecture features very rich Louis XVI ornamentation of garlands, consoles, ribs, moldings, pilasters, and consoles supporting coat-of-arms pediments on each wing. Inside, the through hall decorated with antique niches, pilasters, and faux marble columns houses a very elegant and airy spiral staircase on a superbly curved stringer painted with wisteria. On the ground floor, there is a large kitchen, three utility rooms, and a boiler room. A living room adorned with low wood paneling, a Neo-Renaissance fireplace, and direct access to the park via a French window. A small living room with French windows, direct access to the garden. A living room adorned with low wood paneling, large double doors, and a trumeau. A living room with a herringbone floor. A large double living room with a library in a row adorned with low wood paneling, a trumeau, a large library with furniture forming a double door, and a toilet. On the first floor, there are seven bedrooms, four bathrooms, and a toilet. On the second floor, there are nine bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a toilet. A vast and splendid shed, measuring over 500m² on the ground floor, dominates the main courtyard. It was most likely used as a wine store or farm barn. Built in the 19th century, the very luxurious stone façade features a large monumental arch beneath a large pediment decorated with agricultural implements representing harvests (scythe, pitchfork, rake, sheaf of wheat, flail, sieve, shovel, brooms, and a bombarde), all enclosed within a larger pediment covering the building. Inside, the splendid volume is structured with monumental columns, making it very airy and convenient to use. In the 20th century, this space was used as a wine store, and a distillery was built in one corner. Another large shed used as a wine store is located next to the château; niches can be seen on its façade. All the buildings are in very poor condition and require complete restoration. Sumptuous 50-hectare park in one block and free.

Surface : 1 500 m²
Furnishing : Unfurnished
Plot size : 50 ha
Location : Saintes 17100
Reference : VM534