Manoir de la Crasvillerie
ManorHidden Treasure
Manoir de la Crasvillerie, located in Réville (Manche), 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
- Réville, Manche, Normandie
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 49.6376, -1.2567
- Mérimée Reference
- PA50000092
A discreet jewel of the Cotentin region, the Manoir de la Crasvillerie in Réville combines the Norman sobriety of granite and schist with the elegance of the seigniorial dwellings of the Val de Saire peninsula. It will be listed as a Historic Monument in 2019.
History
Nestling in the wooded countryside of Réville, on the edge of the Cotentin peninsula that juts out into maritime Normandy, the Manoir de la Crasvillerie belongs to that category of rural seigneurial dwellings that form the little-known backbone of Normandy's heritage. Neither an ostentatious château nor a simple farmhouse, it embodies the essential link between country nobility and agricultural life: a sturdy, quality dwelling rooted in its land, whose heritage value was officially recognised in October 2019 when it was listed as a Historic Monument. What sets La Crasvillerie apart is that it is part of a particularly dense and remarkably well-preserved network of manor houses in the Val de Saire. This corner of the Manche département, between Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue and Barfleur, has preserved an exceptional concentration of 16th, 17th and 18th century manor houses, which have often remained in the same families from generation to generation, away from the main roads and the conflicts that ravaged other regions. La Crasvillerie is an integral part of this unique human and architectural landscape. Visitors to the estate will discover a coherent whole, where the main building sits alongside farm outbuildings and an enclosure that betray the organisation of a former seigneurial estate. The local materials - carefully cut Cotentin granite, slate roofing - give the building its characteristic bluish-grey hue, which changes with the light and the seasons. The visitor experience here is intimate, almost confidential. Far from the crowds of the big tourist monuments, the manor house can be contemplated in an atmosphere of rural serenity. The sea is never far away: the Val de Saire coastline, dunes and wet meadows create a natural backdrop that enhances the austere beauty of these granite buildings. Photographers and lovers of local history will find it an inexhaustible source of inspiration.
Architecture
The Manoir de la Crasvillerie is typical of rural seigneurial architecture in the Cotentin region, a style that developed between the 16th and 18th centuries, combining functional simplicity with a concern for representation. The main building has an elongated rectangular floor plan and two storeys covered by a steeply pitched roof - an invariable feature of Norman architecture dictated by the rainy climate on the Atlantic coast. The materials used are those of the local area: Cotentin granite, a hard stone that is resistant to sea spray, cut into rubble and framing elements for the bays, and the local slate that covers the roofs in its characteristic dark hue. The exterior elevations bear witness to the particular attention paid to architectural detail: the openings, mullioned windows or straight-headed bays depending on the period of construction, regularly punctuate the façades. A staircase turret or corner tower probably marks the entrance to the dwelling, a recurring feature of Val de Saire manor houses. The ensemble is completed by agricultural outbuildings - a barn, a wine press and a dovecote, if any - which, together with the dwelling, form an enclosure typical of the organisation of Norman seigneurial estates. The interior probably has some remarkable features: monumental fireplaces in local granite sculpted with classical mouldings, ceilings with exposed joists and old woodwork. These interior features, combined with the quality of the exterior work, fully justify the heritage protection granted in 2019 and place La Crasvillerie among the representative examples of Norman manorial architecture in the Val de Saire.
Related Figures
Famille seigneuriale primitive de la Crasvillerie (Moyen Âge) — premiers détenteurs du fief éponymePropriétaires nobles du XVIe-XVIIe siècle — commanditaires de la construction ou des remaniements Renaissance du logisAcquéreurs bourgeois post-révolutionnaires — responsables de la transmission et de la préservation du domaine au XIXe sièclePropriétaires contemporains — acteurs de la démarche de protection patrimoniale aboutissant à l'inscription MH de 2019
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Manoir de la Crasvillerie located?
Manoir de la Crasvillerie is located in Réville, Manche department, Normandie region, France.
When was Manoir de la Crasvillerie built?
Manoir de la Crasvillerie dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Manoir de la Crasvillerie open to visitors?
Manoir de la Crasvillerie is currently closed to visitors.