A 15th-century fortified home forming part of the ramparts of a medieval village,
tucked away in the Gévaudan province of France’s Lozère department
tucked away in the Gévaudan province of France’s Lozère department
Le Malzieu-Ville,
LOZERE
languedoc-roussillon
48140
FR
Location
The edifice forms part of the ramparts of a medieval village on the Camino de Santiago pilgrims’ way, in the Margeride mountain range in the north of France’s Lozère department. There are shops, amenities and schools nearby. Via the A75 motorway, which has a slip road 10 minutes from the village, you can reach the city of Clermont-Ferrand in 1 hour and 30 minutes by car and the city of Montpellier in 2 hours and 15 minutes.
Description
The 15th-century dwelling, built between the 11th and 13th centuries, forms part of the village’s old ramparts. It has a 600m² floor area and stands out for its combination of different roofs that combine barrel tiles with local stone tiles. A tower crowned with a stone-tiled dome stands beside the fortified top of the rampart wall. From the tower, you step out onto a partly covered rampart walk, which leads to a reading room. The main house edges a square inner court, which lies on its east side, and a tree-dotted court, which lies on its west side. A garden covers around 2,000m². In the 17th century, a plague wiped out almost the entire population of this village. Houses were burned in an attempt to cleanse the village of the plague. Yet the fire spread, engulfing the whole village. Later, the village was rebuilt with help from Italian builders, hence its original appearance.
The house
The house has a ground floor, a first floor, a second floor and a third floor in the roof space. Its stone facade makes it look like a fortified house. In the middle of the property, beyond a door in an arch, there is an inner court that leads to the different parts of the building.
The ground floor
The ground floor has a 25m² lounge and a 35m² space that includes a kitchen and a dining area. The lounge leads straight out to a tree-dotted court. From the kitchen, a door leads to a large garage and a technical installations room beside a second court on the west side.
The first floor
From a corridor, you can look down at the inner court. This corridor connects to a games room with a utility space and to four bedrooms, including a large one known as the marchioness’s room. Three bathrooms and a lavatory complete this floor.
The second floor
A corridor that edges the inner court connects to seven bedrooms, a shower room, a bathroom, a utility room and two lavatories. This floor leads out to a rampart walk, which is partially covered and runs along the top of the wall to a reading room with a high ceiling and a 65m² floor area.
The attic
The roof space is divided into two large rooms that extend across the whole building. Each one has a staircase that leads down to the second floor. You can see the exposed roof beams, which are in very good condition.
The garden
The grassy, flower-dotted garden covers around 2,000m².
Our opinion
With its ramparts and thick pale-stone walls, this remarkable property is like an immersion in the Middle Ages. In the heart of its medieval village, the fortified house, built against a rampart wall, used to defend its territory against enemies. A cross-shaped arrow slit reminds us of this. With its 11 bedrooms, the dwelling could be used by a family to host many friends seeking to step back in time. You could bring them together in the large reading room once they have admired the sweeping vista on the rampart walk. And you can easily imagine open-air meals in the east court with the two adjoining towers as your backdrop. Children can play boundlessly in the garden. A leisure activities centre nearby, beside a river, offers canoeing, fishing, quad-biking, horse-riding, a treetop adventure course and mountain biking. More adventurous souls can enjoy a climbing site near the village too.
490 000 €
Fees at the Vendor’s expense
Reference 404786
| Land registry surface area | 2617 m² |
| Main building floor area | 600 m² |
| Number of bedrooms | 11 |
Information on the risks to which this property is exposed is available on the website: www.georisques.gouv.fr
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NB: The above information is not only the result of our visit to the property; it is also based on information provided by the current owner. It is by no means comprehensive or strictly accurate especially where surface areas and construction dates are concerned. We cannot, therefore, be held liable for any misrepresentation.
