With the support of Patrimoine-Environnement, a national association recognized as a public utility approved by the Ministry of Ecology and Sustainable Development and by the Ministry of National Education.
La Maison forte de la Borie is a feudal castral complex that became an agricultural and wine estate. Composed of several buildings within a closed enclosure, it is the perfect illustration of the domains of the late Middle Ages and the arrival of the Renaissance in this part of the Dauphiné d'Auvergne.
Situated in the heart of the hamlet of Bard in the commune of Boudes, near the "Valley of the Saints", a geological feature attracting more than 35,000 visitors a year, the house has been totally forgotten and abandoned for more than 200 years.
This complex was built during the 15th century, perhaps even earlier, probably to protect itself from possible English invasions and excursions by looters.
It has defensive and consolidation systems on the facade and on the periphery: buttresses, stunner, enclosure...
This ensemble was notably listed by Bruno PHALIP in his book "Auvergne et Bourbonnais Gothique, LE CADRE CIVILE" 2003.
The Maison forte de la Borie was the property of the DUPRAT family, a former Auvergne family of bourgeois and merchants, whose noble dress enabled it to reach the highest functions. The most illustrious representative was Cardinal Antoine DUPRAT, Chancellor of France under Francis I.
It is moreover his brother who seems to possess the Borie: Thomas-Annet DUPRAT, Sieur de Veyrieres, judge of Annonay, bourgeois of Issoire, who married Gabrielle de CHASLUS-LEMBRON in the XVI°S of the family of the Lords of Boudes.
The descendants of this family occupied it until the middle of the XVIIth c with a singularity: it was transmitted from father to son legitimate bastards!
acquired by a family of tax attorneys in the 18th c and was then sold by lot and quartered in the 19th c. The house then allowed several families to live there.
From 1850, a family of winegrowers patiently bought back each piece until the 1980s. The agricultural vocation of the site was always very present.
In 2013, it's our turn to take over!
A first phase of work, entirely using own funds between 2015 and 2016, enabled the old vatting house to be de-watered and de-aerated and the surrounding wall and crest to be rebuilt.
In 2018, the collapse of the parapet of one of the 2 outside staircases, forced us to intervene more quickly than expected to save the total balance of the house. This was possible thanks to your donations, to all of you and especially to the unfailing support of Dartagnans and of Patrimoine et Environnement.
Now it's the turn of the big gothic fireplace and its bread oven to get a new look.
Of an imposing size, this fireplace is the symbol of all the antiquity and nobility of the place.
Built entirely of local travertine, rather brittle, it is therefore very fragile and has suffered the ravages of time: its stone lintel has been replaced by a wooden lintel while one of the jambs has been very seriously damaged.
Its pyramid-shaped hood fully participates in the ostentatious character of the whole. The fireplace rests on a beautiful stone pavement.
The bread oven built inside the fireplace is constructed of open hearth tiles.
Typical of the 15th century, it still has very beautiful carved details.
We are looking for support to carry out the work of stone cutting for the jamb, the laying of a counter-heart, the resumption of paving, consolidation of the Gothic fireplace and the bread oven of the fortified house for an amount of 4 200 €.
The costing was carried out by a local craftsman specialising in the renovation of old and historic buildings.
If the collection is exceeded, it will finance the next stage: the roof of the dovecote torn off by the storm of December 1999 (€8,000) and its coatings (€22,000). The final stage will then be the roof (partly torn off in 1999) and the plastering of the fortified house (€64,000).
Some will say that we are a little crazy but we are mostly lovers of stones, heritage, history ... The adventure began in 2013. For two years, with a circle of friends, we purged the site and the added buildings to recover the original volumes and keep only the oldest elements.
Two useful years to bring the project to maturity and guide the renovations with the only credo, the respect of the place and the techniques of yesteryear. This little-known place has gone through the centuries without water or electricity, which means that it is now almost in its original state. It is therefore up to us, with your help, to ensure that the place will continue to live for decades to come.
We strive to make the places discoverable to a greater number of people during the Journées du Patrimoine de Pays et des Moulins, the European Heritage Days or simply to the "curious" on a walk in the Valley of the Saints.
You can support this project:
- by making an online donation by credit card on this page after registering on the Dartagnans site
- by making a bank transfer after registering on the Dartagnans website
- for French donors only, by sending a cheque, on the back of which you will write your e-mail address, made out to "Patrimoine-Environnement", sent to the following address
Dartagnans
Campagne Maison-Forte de la Borie
15 rue de Milan
75009 PARIS
This request comes within the overall framework of the support of the Fondation du Patrimoine since 2015 with the help of local craftsmen.
All of the work carried out since that date has been carried out with own funds without any external financial support. From now on, we are hoping for your support to be able to continue the renovation campaigns that bring back to life an atypical heritage property in the heart of the Lembronnais region.
We thank you for your support and for spreading the story of our project everywhere.
Do not hesitate to contact us by email for more information about the project and the house: [email protected] .
· https://www.facebook.com/MaisonFortedelaBorie/
· twitter.com/LaBorie_Boudes
