castle for sale Léran, France

A fifteenth-century chateau and Benedictine abbey with splendid grounds in one of France’s most beautiful villages, in the country’s Ariège department. You reach the property via a narrow lane that runs along the chateau. The edifice forms a U shape, adjoined to an abbey. It enjoys a commanding view over the River Hers valley. The property is a haven of peace in the heart of a region with an eventful past: Occitania. The chateau stands like a fortress. It is the fruit of a long monastic story: a combination of medieval history and Benedictine architecture. The existence of this Benedictine abbey was first mentioned in a deed that dates back to 923. Charlemagne, returning from a campaign against the Saracens, chose the spot in 778 to build a monastery and a church. A natural dam that held back Puivert lake nearby burst on 18 June 1279, destroying all the villages in the valley. The monastery was rebuilt between 1280 and 1316 to look like France’s royal fortresses with arrow slits. Then its monks abandoned the edifice during the Hundred Years’ War. Later, in 1502, a phase of reconstruction began, resulting in the buildings that we can see here today. This was an initiative from Philippe de Lévis, the Bishop of Mirepoix, who gave the fortified priory a majestic, serious look. He created apartments in the rectangular tower that the chateau still features today. From this period onwards, especially during the edifice’s second phase of restoration in the eighteenth century, the chateau never stopped being embellished with rich decorative features that expressed the abbey’s powerful influence. The edifice is made up of three sections crowned with gabled and hipped roofs that are covered in monk-and-nun tiling and edged with triple-row génoise cornices. The first section is long and thick. It has three floors and an end tower that is taller than the rest of it. Many evenly placed arched or right-angled windows punctuate its walls. The two other sections adjoin the church. They form a cloister around a garden courtyard. The west section has three floors and the east section has two floors. The latter was recently converted into a gîte. In front of the edifice’s large south-facing facade, a terraced garden leads down to parkland that includes an age-old magnolia in its range of trees.

Beautiful residence 10 minutes from Foix, with a living area of 800 m2 on 11 hectares of land (natural spring water) and view of the mountains. Made of : On the ground floor: entrance hall, 1 dining room, 1 equipped kitchen, 1 back kitchen, 1 laundry room, 2 living rooms, 2 toilets, 1 office, 1 billiard room and 1 cellar and 120 m2 of terrace. On the 1st floor: landing, 2 bedrooms, 1 with its shower room, toilets, 1 shower room, 1 room of 47 m2 to be finished and 1 part of 134 m2 to be finished (5 rooms) 2nd floor: landing, 8 en-suite bedrooms (shower room + toilet), 1 living room, 1 technical room Finally, an adjoining outbuilding on one side on 2 levels of 225 m2 on the ground: On the ground floor: workshop, garage, storage room, laundry... On the 1st floor: 3 large volumes that can be transformed into apartments / gites Ideal for home project: large family, guest rooms, cottages, seminars .... This residence cannot be told, it is visited!

Listed as a Historic Monument, you are entering a fascinating part of French history in the Cathar Country: The oldest mention of the first castle dates back to 1155. The current castle, probably built at the end of the 16th or the beginning of the 17th century, replaced an older building. The castle consists of a main rectangular building with one floor and an attic, and two low wings, partially destroyed, to the north, enclosing the courtyard to the east and west. The original entrance was to the east; this semicircular archway is now concealed. The castle is built on a platform overlooking the village. On the attic floor, there is a fireplace bearing the inscription "Noble Anne de Mauleon" and the date 1630. The shield in the center of the mantelpiece depicts a lion in high relief, standing against a three-towered castle. This castle primarily reflects 17th-century architecture. It underwent several renovations, particularly at the end of the 17th century and from 1763 onwards. Recently, under the supervision of the Architects of France and thanks to a strong conservation effort by the current owners, work has been carried out on the structure of the building. The West wing and the great hall have been fully renovated (notably with central heating). The attic has also been redesigned to offer a superb living space with a view of the surrounding lands. Among the completed work, you can appreciate the replicas of the original doors from the early 16th century, made from oak, chestnut, and cedar wood. Inside the castle, the seven original fireplaces, large windows with stained glass, tiled floors, and wooden ceilings have been preserved. A third of the castle has been renovated: On the ground floor: Kitchens with a large fireplace and toilets. The great meeting and reception hall, now a living room. Toilets On the 1st floor: A living room with a fireplace Bedroom An office with a beautiful mezzanine Toilets On the 2nd floor: Bedroom Bathroom with bathtub. Each room has 4-meter-high ceilings. The castle offers four energy sources (wood heating, independent of the fireplaces, underfloor heating, gas heating, and a water heater). The 10 rooms mentioned in this description are the ones that have been renovated, but the castle has many more rooms to be renovated and attics with great potential