listed castle for sale Bar-le-Duc, France

Iin the footsteps of Joan of Arc, a 16th-century, former small village castle, listed as a historical monument. The property is located in the centre of the village, opposite the church, overlooking the plain. It is the result of joining two buildings built with lime rendered rubble stone. The first one stands alongside the street and was probably a former farming outbuilding. It has two storeys and a finely crafted corner bracket, four windows, three bullseye windows and a wooden garage door. Standing perpendicularly next to it, the residence’s front facade overlooks a gravelled courtyard, while there is a patio to the rear, a garden and slopes planted with fir trees, while shrubs and fruit trees stand against the southern gable end. The property also possesses a single-storey outbuilding, situated next to the former farm outbuilding, topped with a roof of interlocking tiles. The entirety of the main residence, the facade and roof of the outbuilding, the courtyard area and the boundary wall including a period gate are all listed as a historic monument.

A listed castle, once belonging to the Joyeuse counts, in 7 ha of parklands 2½ hours from Paris and Brussels in a region known as Argonne-Ardennaise. The geographic location of Grandpré castle, standing on a rocky spur, was already an advantage in medieval times. In a dominant position, looking out over the Argonne region towards the roads through the Champagne countryside, it was one of the border areas essential to the young kingdom of France. The county, divided since the Crusades, was gradually reunited until it fell into the hands of a powerful character, Louis-de-Joyeuse, chamberlain at the court of Louis XII. Supporter of the Catholic League, his heir, Claude-de-Joyeuse, amassed spoils and fortune in the 17th century, thus enabling him to embellish the estate and leave his mark on the surrounding buildings: the church and other buildings necessary to the inhabitants of the county. Distinguishing themselves from many of their contemporaries, the Joyeuse counts made their mark through military careers (Marshals of France and Lieutenant-Generals of the king’s armies) and followed Louis XIV. It was during 1685 that major works were carried out (large appartements, stables, etc.) and financed courtesy of the titles and offices acquired by members of the Joyeuses family following their military successes during the Wars of Spanish Succession around 1700. Marriages arranged with the large families in the Champagne region did the rest. However, despite a well-founded land heritage, lineage strategies proved too fragile and the estate gradually became divided in the 18th century. Furthermore, the estate was little occupied prior to the fall of the monarchy in 1792. It was requisitioned by General-Dumouriez, a famous republican hero following the Valmy victory against the Austrians. He settled his general quarters there prior to it becoming a hospital set up for the revolutionary armies. Despite a token show of renovation under the First Empire and during the Restoration era, a lack of constant upkeep led to a fire that started in the gatehouse and the destruction of the castle in 1834. Only one pavilion was restored, it now forms the current castle. An outstanding collection of outbuildings align the street going up the hill. A monumental pavilion, in a central recess, provides access to the outbuilding courtyard. The castle and its parklands are then reached by passing under the semi-circular arched porchway of the gatehouse.