Manoir
Manor
Manoir, located in Wierre-au-Bois (Pas-de-Calais), 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
- Wierre-au-Bois, Pas-de-Calais, Hauts-de-France
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 50.6481, 1.7630
- Mérimée Reference
- PA62000048
On the edge of the Boulonnais region, this centuries-old manor house is a blend of flamboyant Gothic and classical sobriety. The birthplace of Sainte-Beuve, it inspired some of the most sensitive pages of his novel Volupté.
History
Nestling in the peaceful village of Wierre-au-Bois, at the gateway to the Opal Coast, the seigniorial manor house unfurls its composite architecture like an open book of hours on five centuries of the history of the Boulonnais region. Far from the pomp and circumstance of the great royal châteaux, it embodies the provincial aristocracy's attachment to their land, combining Nordic austerity with the refinements of the late Renaissance. Its facades of local limestone, its sloping roofs and its outbuildings arranged around an inner courtyard make up an ensemble of rare coherence, where each building campaign has been able to interact with the existing rather than erase it. What really sets the manor house of Wierre-au-Bois apart is the memorial density of its walls. The manor was recorded in deeds as early as 1113, making it one of the oldest documented estates in the region. Over the centuries, it has survived the Reformation as a place of underground Protestant worship, undergone the sober transformations of the Classical Age, and then, at the turn of the 19th century, played host to the studious wanderings of a young man destined for literary fame: Charles-Augustin Sainte-Beuve. A visit here is like immersing yourself in time. The weathered stone of the facades, the controlled volumes of the main buildings, the gardens that open onto the gentle undulations of the Boulonnais countryside: everything invites meditative contemplation. Here, we look for traces of an intimate past, the one that Sainte-Beuve sublimated in Volupté - a confessional novel in which the estate's landscapes come to the fore. The natural setting completes the picture: Wierre-au-Bois is part of the discreet Artesian bocage, far from the busy tourist routes, where high hedges frame green valleys. The manor house blends in with elegant discretion, as if it had always belonged to the landscape. A place for lovers of authentic heritage, for readers of Sainte-Beuve, and for anyone who prefers the depth of stone to the glitz of reconstruction.
Architecture
The architecture of the Wierre-au-Bois manor house is a composite whole, the result of several building campaigns between the 15th and 19th centuries. The oldest parts, which can be attributed to the second half of the 15th century, are distinguished by their carefully-cut Boulonnais limestone masonry and openings with slightly bracketed arches characteristic of the late flamboyant Gothic style. The thick walls, compact proportions and sober ornamentation reflect the seigneurial architecture of northern France, which was more concerned with solidity than showmanship. Alterations in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries introduced a classical vocabulary: the main entrance follows a more symmetrical composition, with horizontal bands marking the levels, windows with moulded frames and a steeply pitched roof covered with flat tiles or slates, in the Picardy-Boulonnais tradition. The main building has a sober two-storey elevation topped by habitable attic space, typical of the homes of country gentlemen in the north of France under the Ancien Régime. The entire estate is organised around an enclosed or semi-enclosed courtyard, with the 19th-century outbuildings completing the layout by forming a coherent built screen. The gardens, in the tradition of residences from this period, extend in gentle terraces towards the surrounding hedged farmland. The overall coherence, despite the many different periods of construction, is ensured by the unity of the materials used - local stone dominates throughout - and by the continuity of a well thought-out layout that has guided each new addition.
Related Figures
Jean de la Bouverie — sénéchal du Boulonnais, probable commanditaire des parties les plus anciennes du château au XVe siècleFamille de la Bouverie — propriétaires du domaine au XVe siècle, figures de la noblesse boulonnaiseCharles-Augustin Sainte-Beuve (1804-1869) — critique littéraire, cousin des De Bonnières, villégiaturant à Wierre-au-Bois jusqu'en 1823 et ayant immortalisé le domaine dans VoluptéFamille De Bonnières — propriétaires du domaine au XVIIIe siècle, hôtes du jeune Sainte-Beuve
Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Manoir located?
Manoir is located in Wierre-au-Bois, Pas-de-Calais department, Hauts-de-France region, France.
When was Manoir built?
Manoir dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Manoir open to visitors?
Manoir is currently closed to visitors.