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Origin and history

The house of Nanclas, located in Jarnac in Charente (New Aquitaine), is an emblematic monument of the small rural seigneuries of the region. Built between the late 16th and early 17th centuries, it was enlarged in the 18th century by an additional building to the northeast. Its modest yet neat architecture reflects the social status of its successive owners, with elements such as a door in the middle of the hanger decorated with pilasters and a stone staircase dividing the levels into four rooms.

The land of Nanclas belonged first to the Laisné family, of which Isaac Laisné (died 1704), lieutenant general of the king's armies, was the most illustrious member. The estate then passed to the Sarlandie, then became the dowry of Anne de Sarlandie, wife of Pierre Arnaud, prosecutor in Angoulême. The house, its portal and its circular dovecote (symbol of seigneurial right) were listed as historical monuments in 1985. Inside, 17th and 18th century painted chimneys and 1714 sundial testify to its rich past.

The architectural ensemble also includes a round pepper roof leak, marking the exercise of a right of justice, and commons added in the 19th century. The rectangular plan, flanked by square turrets, illustrates local constructive traditions. Today private property, the house preserves traces of its transformations, such as the reshaping of the openings on the garden or the old frame of the pigeon tree, offering an overview of the evolution of seigneurial residences in Charente.

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