Listed castle Courpière (63)
Located on the edge of a village near Courpière, in the Livradois-Forez Regional Natural Park, the estate includes a Renaissance castle, outbuildings, a pond and land for a total area of 4 ha 67 a 20 ca. The castle, built in the 16th century according to Renaissance principles and remodeled in the 17th century, is laid out as a quadrilateral surrounding an inner courtyard and flanked at its four corners by two round towers and two pavilions. Between the two towers, a vast terrace with a balustrade supported by three semicircular arches runs along the first floor. The old ditches, although dried up, are still clearly visible. A large body of water faces the terrace, fed by the Sauvagnon stream. In 1974 the current owners acquired the castle and saved it from ruin by carrying out major works from 1976 to 2000 on the main structure, the ground floor and the first floor. Access to the castle is through a beautiful pointed arch doorway leading to a covered passage with a barrel vault and then to the inner courtyard. On the ground floor: an old kitchen of 41.49 m² with ribbed vaulting and a monumental fireplace; a scullery of 5.64 m²; a square room of 13.15 m² in the round tower; a toilet of 6.58 m² with a washbasin; a 19.37 m² vaulted laundry room: sink, washing machine and fuel tank; a service spiral staircase leading to the first floor; three cellars, a workshop and the boiler room. A superb three-flight staircase with 17th-century Volvic stone arches serves the floors. On the first floor: a gallery (or armory) of 61.43 m². Three French doors open directly onto the 24 m² south-east facing terrace; a room known as the “Coat of Arms” measuring 12.38 m² with its exceptional painted decoration representing the coats of arms of the owning and allied families: Lodant, Uffan and La Fayette among others. Painted French-style ceiling. The cornice is brown and decorated with motifs and bordered by two green lines. The coats of arms are surrounded on the right by a cord and on the left by palm fronds. The lower part of the room is covered with a trompe-l'œil balustrade and the upper part is decorated with a frieze and masks in red and silver; a large, so-called “colonnaded” living room of 72.08 m². Nine massive columns with Corinthian capitals decorate the room. 18th-century wood paneling. Two French doors open directly onto the terrace; a 15.75 m² fitted kitchen in the round tower; a bathroom of 11.71 m²: two sinks, bathtub; a toilet of 0.96 m²; a blue room of 33.42 m². Superb marquetry rosette. In a niche, a faience stove. 18th-century woodwork. French-style ceiling; a corner bedroom of 31.09 m². Herringbone parquet flooring. Grey marble fireplace; an adjoining toilet of 0.65 m²: washbasin and bidet. A separate apartment has been created on the same level, accessible either from the colonnaded living room or via the service spiral staircase. It comprises: an entrance hall of 4.90 m²; a fully equipped kitchen of 4.03 m²; a dining room of 18.21 m²; a salon known as the “Muses Room” of 21.79 m². Remarkable painted coffered ceiling dating from the Louis-Philippe period. Herringbone parquet flooring; in the wall of the northeast tower, a charming oratory features a stucco decoration imitating Renaissance lambrequins and a cloudy sky with a dove dating from the late 18th century; a 4.29 m² interstitial space opening onto a balcony; a bedroom of 28.36 m². Grey marble fireplace. Herringbone parquet flooring; It is of course possible to combine the two apartments. The whole property offers approximately 388 m² of living space. On the second floor: approximately 400 m² of attic space suitable for conversion. Poplar timber frame. The roofs of the round towers were redone in 1976 and the rest has been regularly maintained. Central heating provided by two boilers. One Okofen pellet boiler dating from 2017 and an oil boiler used as a backup, dating from 2000. No energy performance certificate (DPE) as it is a listed building (ISMH). Connection to mains drainage and fibre optics. Its simple yet well-proportioned exterior, typical of the Renaissance, and the rich original features of its interior decoration justified its listing on the Supplementary Inventory of Historic Monuments in 1991: the entire château, including the bedroom with its marquetry parquet floor, the colonnaded drawing room, the coat of arms room, the salon of the muses, and the oratory. This listing allows, under certain conditions, for obtaining subsidies and tax relief for restoration work. A large common building was erected to the west, one wing of which is adorned with 6 semicircular bays and includes: a 48 m² garage; a garage with horse stalls of 71 m². Upstairs a hayloft of 172 m²; a sheepfold of 177 m² under a barrel vault which has retained a decoration of false rib vaults which may date back to the end of the 16th century; a stable of 27 m²; a stable of 190 m². Above it, a hayloft of 190 m². A dovecote. Of the 4 ha 67 a 20 ca of the property, approximately 3 ha are free meadows. The Sauvagnon stream crosses the property, splits into two branches to form an island and feeds the pond of approximately 2,500 m². The castle is built on the edge of a peaceful village located 10 km from Courpière, which offers all shops and amenities. The A89 motorway is 25 km away. The architectural qualities make this charming castle a rare witness to the Renaissance in Auvergne and with its vast volumes, its common and its park it will be the precious residence of true lovers of heritage or the ideal place for a tourist, cultural and event activity.
… $955,500
By Pierre Changarnier Immobilier
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