Near the Saint-Sauveur church in Bellême, a street lined with grand houses and old dwellings leads to the presbytery, which dates back to the 16th century and was redesigned in the 18th century. Its facade faces the street and its gable wall faces a small cul-de-sac.

The history of this property is well documented. It housed local parish priests, then nuns after the French Revolution up to 1923 when it was sold to private owners. A vaulted cellar extends beneath part of the house, which faces north and south. It has a ground floor, a first floor and a liveable loft. A small wing protrudes at the back at a right angle to the main section. This wing contains a garage on the street side and a storeroom on the garden side. The house’s elevations are lime-coated. The dwelling is crowned with a roof of local flat tiles. Its windows and doors are set in surrounds of white dressed stone. The windows are fitted with shutters painted blue.

Behind, a lush walled garden lies beyond the rear courtyard. It stretches southwards. Around the property, you can see the roofs and walls of the neighbouring houses, which do not overlook the presbytery.

The presbytery

Large windows that are mostly rectangular punctuate the facade on either side of the entrance door. They herald an interior bathed in natural light.

The ground floor
The main door leads from the street into an entrance hall with a floor of stone tiles. Here, a spiral staircase leads upstairs. There is also a lavatory and a door to a secondary spiral staircase, which leads down to a vaulted cellar and a sump. On the garden side, a glazed door leads out to a paved courtyard.

Left of the hallway, there is a dual-aspect lounge. Stone tiles embellish its floor and a stone fireplace adorns one wall. Exposed joists and beams, which are painted, run across the ceiling. Right of the hallway, there is a room with a floor of mosaic parquet that is used as a lounge and dining area. It is a dual-aspect room that is filled with natural light from two windows and a glazed door that leads out into the courtyard behind. Exposed stonework forms its walls. Similarly, exposed beams and joists that run across its ceiling show the original structure and materials. If needed, a wood-burning stove here offers an extra source of heating in addition to the house’s central heating.

Beyond this room, there is a fitted kitchen with a floor of cement tiles in a checked pattern. It leads out into the courtyard via a glazed door. Lastly, in line with the kitchen, there is a storeroom and a scullery with a street-facing window and a mains gas boiler.

The first floor
From the hallway, the timber spiral staircase from the 16th century with its wrought-iron balusters leads up to a landing with a floor of old terracotta tiles. This landing connects to a room with a fireplace that has been turned into an office. This office overlooks the garden.

Right of the landing, there is a first bedroom with an en-suite bathroom that has a shower and a lavatory. This bedroom faces south, looking out at the garden. A corridor with a built-in wardrobe on its street side leads to a linen room.

Left of the landing, there is another corridor. It is filled with natural light from a window. It connects to two bedrooms on the street side, then, in the wing, a shower room with a lavatory and one last bedroom that looks westwards at the garden. Wood strip flooring extends across the rooms. Some of the floors are covered with rush matting.

The attic
The main spiral staircase leads up to the roof space, which offers a floor area of 90m². Skylights brighten up this top floor, which is divided into two sections used as dormitories. There is also a shower room with a lavatory on this floor.