Issirac, Languedoc-Roussillon 30760

An ancient fortified castle, its gte and 12 ha of grounds in a hamlet between the Cze and Ardche rivers, with a commanding view of the Cvennes. The tarmac road is the only access from the village, turning soon into a track stretching over the last few hundred metres to the property entrance. The hamlet of Sauvan fully embodies its Occitan name, derived from the Latin 'Silvanus' - 'man of the woods'. Like a haven in a green desert, some of its buildings can be spotted at the bottom of the space reserved for vehicle parking. The owners, who restored the hamlet from ruins, have taken great care to create a series of cobbled paths and steps leading to a central square offering a breathtaking view of the setting sun and the Cevennes mountains in the distance: Mont Lozre and Mont Aigoual. Providing an obvious natural protection, the gorges of the Cze, whose meanders and cliffs can be glimpsed from this spot, have been populated for thousands of years. Subsequently, the region developed thanks to the presence of the Knights Templar, as evidenced by the village of Montclus with its square keep, the remains of a castle built in 1275, and the Bernas Commandery, which formed part of the latter. The Sauvan hamlet, which fell into ruin and oblivion for decades, saw its history fade away. However, its prominent position and its connection to the 'Castrum de Montecluso', as well as the presence of older fortifications, suggest that it was a strategic spot for the Order of the Knights Templar. The property complex as it stands today is a succession of buildings, probably dating back to the 13th century, arranged around the central square and its cross. The estate is divided into five separate living areas - not including the gte (guest house), a former drying shed built on the other side of the square, to the south: 'le grand mas' ('the large farmhouse') and 'le tunnel' ('the tunnel'), accessed from the south courtyard, 'les paillers' ('the straw barns'), 'l'piscopal' ('the bishop's residence') and 'les muriers' ('the mulberry trees'), from the alley to the east. Entirely enclosed by stone walls, the only entrance is to the south, into a first courtyard at the bottom of a flight of steps. It is accessed via a porch topped by a keystone dating from 1783, which is adjoined by an impressive bakehouse with a slate roof (in an impeccable state of conservation) or from the north via an impressive carriage door featuring a chestnut lintel, which opens onto a second courtyard. The large farmhouse, the most impressive building in the hamlet, stretches along a south-north axis from the lime-tree square to the mulberry tree alley, which runs along the eastern facade of the complex. While the latter, which borders single-storey dwellings, appears to be low, the western facades, taking advantage of the sloping terrain, comprise three levels. The buildings are of limestone, with dressed stone used for the jambs and structural elements, and coursed rubble masonry for the load-bearing walls. The roofs of the various buildings are clad with monk-and-nun tiles. Committed to preserving this important architectural heritage, the current inhabitants undertook a complete overhaul of the roofs less than two years ago.