A bit of history of the house
The foundations of the house (the caves below the upper portion of the house) are reputed to be from the 11th to 12th century. There was a wooden house built on top of the foundation which burnt sometime in the 1400s. The fireplace in the main dining hall bears marks of a fire, so the fireplace predates that time period (they weren't very good at cleaning back then, I guess!)
The current structure was built in 3 stages. The original portion of the house was finished in 1628. That portion contains the dining room and loft area, and is not rented out.
The main Salon area and the Grenier Chambre section (which is also not in the rental portion of the house) was completed in 1629. There are carved stones with the dates near the doors!
These rooms would have housed two families (or maybe more), with two front entrances on the pathway. The large animals were kept underneath the house in the caves at night and taken out into the fields to graze during the day. The smaller animals were kept in what is now the garden. It has really good soil!!!
Then in 1775, the lower portion of the house was constructed and used as barns for the houses above. You can see the remains of the window that was on the side of the house when you are in the Convent bedroom. When the barn was constructed, they blocked off the window. The little stained glass window in the stairway would have been the window that they took the hay in and out of the upper level of the barn. I'm guessing at this time that the shed-roofed area that houses the upper kitchen and upper bathroom (not rented) was built.There is a well just below the upper kitchen window that was used to draw water up into the kitchen. The cooking would have been done in the dining hall.
The barns stood in their rough state until about 30 years ago, when the previous owner of the house converted the drafty, rough space into living space, adding the fireplaces, insulation, interior wall finishes, stairway and windows. However, there was no plumbing in this portion of the house.
We purchased the house in the Spring of 2013 and in Fall of 2013, we undertook renovations of this lower portion of the house, adding 2 full bathrooms, a WC under the stairs, and the full kitchen. We had to bring plumbing into that portion of the house, and we updated the electricity, and constructed the walls for the bathrooms. This construction was filmed by the US series, House Hunters International, Renovations. The show can be found by doing a Google search for "House Hunters International, Renovations France." It is currently on youtube at https://www.youtube.com/show/SC92TGLFcEL1lRZoEypJbf-g?season=1&sbp=CgEx and click on the "400 years of renovations" tab.
Here is a photo of the house that I'm guessing was taken sometime in the 1800s. Our house is on the left of the lean-to.
The current structure was built in 3 stages. The original portion of the house was finished in 1628. That portion contains the dining room and loft area, and is not rented out.
The main Salon area and the Grenier Chambre section (which is also not in the rental portion of the house) was completed in 1629. There are carved stones with the dates near the doors!
These rooms would have housed two families (or maybe more), with two front entrances on the pathway. The large animals were kept underneath the house in the caves at night and taken out into the fields to graze during the day. The smaller animals were kept in what is now the garden. It has really good soil!!!
Then in 1775, the lower portion of the house was constructed and used as barns for the houses above. You can see the remains of the window that was on the side of the house when you are in the Convent bedroom. When the barn was constructed, they blocked off the window. The little stained glass window in the stairway would have been the window that they took the hay in and out of the upper level of the barn. I'm guessing at this time that the shed-roofed area that houses the upper kitchen and upper bathroom (not rented) was built.There is a well just below the upper kitchen window that was used to draw water up into the kitchen. The cooking would have been done in the dining hall.
The barns stood in their rough state until about 30 years ago, when the previous owner of the house converted the drafty, rough space into living space, adding the fireplaces, insulation, interior wall finishes, stairway and windows. However, there was no plumbing in this portion of the house.
We purchased the house in the Spring of 2013 and in Fall of 2013, we undertook renovations of this lower portion of the house, adding 2 full bathrooms, a WC under the stairs, and the full kitchen. We had to bring plumbing into that portion of the house, and we updated the electricity, and constructed the walls for the bathrooms. This construction was filmed by the US series, House Hunters International, Renovations. The show can be found by doing a Google search for "House Hunters International, Renovations France." It is currently on youtube at https://www.youtube.com/show/SC92TGLFcEL1lRZoEypJbf-g?season=1&sbp=CgEx and click on the "400 years of renovations" tab.
Here is a photo of the house that I'm guessing was taken sometime in the 1800s. Our house is on the left of the lean-to.
History of Flavigny-sur-Ozerain
The best history of the village that I've found is on the Anis de Flavigny website. Please visit their website (click below) to get a feeling for our lovely little town. And they make great candies, too!