Manoir de la Bourgonie
ManorHidden Treasure
Manoir de la Bourgonie, located in Le Buisson-de-Cadouin (Dordogne), is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- Manor
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- Le Buisson-de-Cadouin, Dordogne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 44.8378, 0.9261
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00082422
The pearl of the Périgord Noir, the Manoir de la Bourgonie is set around an enclosed courtyard with its medieval towers and crenellated gatehouse - a perfect example of a Sarlat-style manor house combining rural elegance with discreet defensive features.
History
Nestling in the gentle bocage of the Périgord Noir, near the market town of Le Buisson-de-Cadouin, the Manoir de la Bourgonie is one of those silent treasures that the Dordogne knows so well how to hide in the hollows of its limestone hills. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1965, it embodies with rare consistency the type of Sarlat manor house, an architectural family unique to the Sarlat region, where country gentry liked to combine residential comfort with seigneurial vigilance. What distinguishes the Bourgonie from a simple rural dwelling is above all the composition of its enclosed courtyard: an enclosed space punctuated by buildings from different eras that interact without contradicting each other. The gatehouse, with its corbel-mounted walkway, is a reminder that this is a symbolic as well as a defensive threshold. The inner courtyard then offers a surprise at every turn: a fifteenth-century round tower, a seventeenth-century square tower, a well sheltered under a lean-to with round columns - all lapidary evidence of a family history stretching back three centuries. The curious visitor will appreciate the clarity of the ensemble: unlike many Périgord residences that have been redesigned according to fashion, La Bourgonie has not undergone a radical metamorphosis. Each element retains its chronological meaning, making the manor house a veritable manual of vernacular open-air architecture. The blonde ochre Périgord stone absorbs the afternoon light with a generosity that photographers will not want to ignore. The natural setting reinforces the impression of authenticity: the waters of the Dordogne and the forests of pubescent oaks form a familiar horizon, one that was already admired by the country gentlemen who made their morning rounds of the courtyard before looking after their tenant farms. To come to Bourgonie is to agree to slow down - and let the stones speak for themselves.
Architecture
The Manoir de la Bourgonie follows the classic layout of a Périgord manor house with an enclosed courtyard: a stone enclosure with a gatehouse forming the main threshold. This gatehouse, with its carriage entrance, is crowned by a small parapet walk resting on a row of stone corbels, reminiscent of medieval gate towers adapted to the scale of a rural manor house. The inner courtyard reveals the superimposition of three centuries of construction. At the far end, the main building, on one level, backs onto a square 17th-century tower whose sober cornice and limestone masonry contrast elegantly with the rusticity of the surrounding walls; this tower houses a stone staircase with straight flights, a vestige of a taste for interior design. On the right-hand side, a two-storey building topped by an attic has a facade punctuated with mullioned windows. The adjoining 15th-century round tower, with its thick walls and slightly sloping base, remains the most medieval feature of the complex. The seventeenth-century well, covered by a lean-to with round columns, adds a refined, functional touch to the centre of the courtyard. The whole complex is built in the blonde limestone characteristic of the Périgord Noir region, whose golden reflections in the setting sun are one of the most recognisable aesthetic features of the region's vernacular architecture.
Related Figures
Seigneurs locaux sarladais (XVe siècle) — premiers bâtisseurs du manoirPropriétaires du XVIIe siècle — commanditaires de la tour carrée et du puits à colonnesFamille noble périgourdine du XVIIIe siècle — ayant procédé aux dernières extensions connuesInspecteurs des Monuments Historiques (1965) — artisans de la protection officielle du manoir
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Manoir de la Bourgonie located?
Manoir de la Bourgonie is located in Le Buisson-de-Cadouin, Dordogne department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
When was Manoir de la Bourgonie built?
Manoir de la Bourgonie dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Manoir de la Bourgonie open to visitors?
Manoir de la Bourgonie is currently closed to visitors.
