Living in an Ancient French House
This summer I am spending a month in the south of France with my travel buddies, Barb and Werner Aldworth, Randall Sampson, Husband Tre and Son Zane, along with some other people popping in from time to time. For our month in France, we are living in a fully restored, luxury, stone-built 13th century (which means the 1200’s) ‘Maison de Maitre’ with watchtower, inner courtyard, grotto plunge pool, sun terrace and 4 ensuite bedrooms.
Interestingly, the Albigensian Crusade or the Cathar Crusade took place from 1209–1229. Right about the same time as this house was built. The Albigensian crusade was a 20-year military campaign initiated by Pope Innocent III to eliminate Catharism in Languedoc, in southern France. It was a horrible atrocity against fellow Christians in an effort to take over their lands and eliminate a passive, quiet religion that had taken hold in this area. Our sweet town of Nezignan is situated in the Languedoc region surrounded by Cathar ruins. Please see forthcoming posts about the Cathars.
The 800-Year-Old home is in the sleepy village of Nezignan l’Eveque at 3 Rue L’Hopital. This two restaurant, one church village is a brisk 2.5 mile walk into the well-preserved medieval town of Pezanas. Pezenas may be best known for being the hang-out of Moliere, the French counterpart to Shakespeare. We are 30 minutes from the Mediterranean Sea and three hours north of Barcelona, Spain.
The commuter village of Nezignan was built in a spiral formation to protect against marauders. We are securely situated deep in the spiral. This house is rumored to have been a part of the hospital at one point. At present, it seems to be separated into a multi-family residences. Ours looks wanting from the outside but is brilliant once you step in through the rugged blue door (as seen above.)
The house in the historical center of the village is constructed from stone around a broad circular staircase that ends in a sunny watchtower with a 360-view of the surrounding countryside. Completely and luxuriously restored to combine historic with modern, its character of the Middle Ages remains but with all modern comforts.
As you enter our residence you walk through a curved ceiling corridor into what was likely a horse stable. To the right, is a covered open-air kitchen, to the left a grotto spa/pool. Likely the entrance level housed horses for the majority of its existence.
The whole structure is based on a stone spiral staircase. As you round the initial seven stairs to the first opening, you come to the kitchen, which is a sizable, contemporary kitchen with all the modern amenities. The next curve in the stairs leads to the first bedroom/bathroom suite. Continuing up you come to the master bedroom suite. The next level is a sun deck with chaise lounges. It appears as though a person might get about three hours’ worth of sun due to the high walls of the sun deck.
Continuing on up the stairs leads to two other bedrooms. My bedroom is at the top of stair 44, with a large south screenless window that opens onto a sweet desk where I can write while gazing out into the central open courtyard of the home. I am seven flights up the stairs, ensuring I naturally get vigorous exercise each day.
Village houses in this part of the world often have a courtyard in the center. In fact, most of the houses look run down and often abandoned from the outside, saving the treasured view for the inhabitants. Ours is no exception. I couldn’t believe it when I opened the front entrance door and saw the gloriousness of the space. I am also amazed at how a home so old could have been retrofit to have modern plumbing and electricity.
The final floor, which is clearly my favorite, I will call “communing with birds.” It is a 10 x 10 community, Turkish-inspired sitting room with full windows on all four sides. With all the windows open you are overcome by the bird songs of the surrounding sky.