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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

Villard Farm is an emblematic construction of the rural habitat of the southwestern Velay plateaus, built in volcanic stone. It illustrates the local architectural techniques before the First World War, with a traditional plan combining a house and a barn-stable, all lined with a wall. Its history dates back to at least the sixteenth century, as evidenced by the preserved elements: an inscription dated 1550, a lintel in braid and a murderer, suggesting the reuse of ancient structures in the 19th century building.

In the 16th century, the property belonged to Claude Villard, notary, which attests to its social importance from that time. The farm adopts a spatial organization characteristic of the region, with stables on the ground floor and access to the barn by an external staircase sheltered under an awning. The space under this staircase, walled, served as a supe or storage space, reflecting a pragmatic optimization of agricultural space.

Classified as historical monuments by order of 10 September 1990, the Villard Farm today embodies a preserved rural heritage, representative of the agrarian structures of the Western Velay. Its inscription underlines the architectural and historical value of this type of construction, studied in particular by Robert Chamonard in his work on local agrarian structures. The farm is located precisely in the village of Chacornac, on the commune of Cayres, in the department of Haute-Loire.

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