Auxerre, Burgundy 89000

A chateau and its dovecote turned holiday cottage, surrounded by 5 hectares of grounds, less than two hours from Paris, in Burgundy. Along the edge of the village, the property, located at the end of a country lane lined by hedges, is accessible via an initial private drive, which leads to the dovecote, as well as another drive bordered by majestic plane trees, which provides access to the grand courtyard via a bridge over the property's dry moats.Surrounding this grand courtyard is the chateau, facing west, as well as a dovecote and former barn, the latter of which closes off the space, while the property, extending over 5 hectares, overlooks a pastoral landscape punctuated by vast expanses of fields and woods.In the 18th century, this was the hunting estate of the Seignelay lords, of which the dovecote and its 1, 300 pigeonholes demonstrate its bygone importance, as does the chateau's dcor, both interior and exterior, and the grandeur of the architecture, materials and surfaces used. Built out of plaster-coated or pointed stone, with rectilinear windows and mostly hipped roofs, the well-made edifices are understated and, yet, exude a certain feeling of splendour at the same time.