Ferme de la "Fontaine Haute"
MonumentHidden Treasure
Ferme de la "Fontaine Haute", located in Goujounac (Département 46), is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- Goujounac, Département 46, Occitanie
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 44.5773, 1.2030
- Mérimée Reference
- PA46000033
A discreet jewel of the Bouriane region, the Fontaine Haute farm has preserved its original viticultural features intact, providing exceptional evidence of the Lot's agricultural architecture of the 17th and 19th centuries.
History
Nestling in the wooded hills of the Bouriane, a natural region of the Lot with landscapes of chestnut trees and gentle limestone plateaux, the Fontaine Haute farm is one of the last winegrowers of its kind to have survived the centuries without losing its soul. A rare survivor of an architectural type that has almost entirely disappeared from the Lot landscape, it stands out as a living document of the French rural economy under the Ancien Régime and beyond. What really sets Fontaine Haute apart from other farms in the Quercy Blanc and Bouriane regions is the remarkable integrity of its buildings. The dwellings, cellars, storerooms and outbuildings are grouped around a courtyard, in a layout typical of the autonomous family farms that once punctuated the agricultural life of this region. Where so many other estates have been redeveloped, subdivided or abandoned, Fontaine Haute has retained its functional and formal coherence, so that the organisation of a modern-day winegrowing operation can still be seen today. To visit the Fontaine Haute farm is to enter a space where time seems suspended. The local limestone, weathered by the centuries, the roofs with canal tiles gilded by the sun of the Lot, the sober, robust volumes of the rural buildings evoke a way of life and production that is long gone but still worthily preserved. The atmosphere is intimate, almost confidential, far from the tourist crowds that flock to the great fortresses of neighbouring Périgord. The natural setting further enhances this feeling of authenticity. The commune of Goujounac, a quiet village in the southern Lot, just a few kilometres from Salviac and the Pays des Serres, offers an environment of gentle hills, vineyards and light-coloured forests that are transformed by the light of the Occitan region in every season. La Fontaine Haute fits into this setting with a quiet obviousness, as if it had always belonged to this landscape - which, in a sense, is exactly the case.
Architecture
The Fontaine Haute farmhouse is part of the tradition of grouped agricultural buildings typical of the Bouriane region, with dwellings and outbuildings arranged around an enclosed or semi-enclosed courtyard, forming a functional and defensive ensemble. This compact layout, inherited from medieval practices of grouping buildings together to optimise space and keep an eye on livestock and crops, gives the complex a compact, harmonious silhouette that is typical of rural buildings in the Lot. The materials used are those of the region: local limestone, abundant in this part of the Lot, makes up most of the masonry. The thick, sturdy walls provide the natural thermal insulation needed to keep the wine in the cellars. The roofs, probably covered with low-pitched canal tiles in keeping with southern tradition, contribute to the visual identity of this ensemble, which looks as much towards the Quercy region as towards the nearby Périgord. The lintels and window surrounds, carved from better quality stone, bear witness to a discreet but real concern for decorative quality. The major architectural interest of Fontaine Haute lies in the preservation of its wine-making features: barrel-vaulted cellars, possibly a hand or screw press, and the storage and vinification areas, which form a coherent technical whole. These features, which have disappeared from most comparable farms in the region, make this monument an architectural and agronomic document of the utmost importance for understanding the wine economy of the Bouriane region in the 17th-19th centuries.
Related Figures
Propriétaires paysans bourianais des XVIIe-XVIIIe siècles, bâtisseurs anonymes du domaine viticoleExploitants agricoles du XIXe siècle, auteurs des grandes reconstructions qui façonnent l'aspect actuelInspecteurs des Monuments Historiques ayant instruit le dossier d'inscription en 2004Vignerons lotois victimes du phylloxéra (années 1870-1880), dont la crise mit fin à l'âge d'or viticole de la Bouriane
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Ferme de la "Fontaine Haute" located?
Ferme de la "Fontaine Haute" is located in Goujounac, Département 46 department, Occitanie region, France.
When was Ferme de la "Fontaine Haute" built?
Ferme de la "Fontaine Haute" dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Ferme de la "Fontaine Haute" open to visitors?
Ferme de la "Fontaine Haute" is currently closed to visitors.
