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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Bais Manor House, located 1.8 km north of Cambremer in Calvados, is an emblematic construction of the country of Auge, dating from the 4th quarter of the 15th century and redesigned in the 16th and 18th centuries. The building, partially protected by historical monuments, consists of a house body, a hexagonal dovecote made of wood, and a defensive poterne made of bricks and stones. These elements, surrounded by moat, illustrate the hybrid architecture (stone, brick, half-timber) characteristic of the region.

The fief belonged from the 12th century to the lords of Bais, then passed to the families Le Gouez (15th century), Malfillastre (16th century), and du Bois at the beginning of the 18th century. Count Louis-Thibault du Bois de Bais, a member of the Convention and then a senator of Empire, made him his residence. In the 20th century, Count Robert de Monts de Savasse, who died for France in 1919, inherited by alliance. The manor preserves traces of its medieval past, such as a rectangular tower of 1460 with scald, as well as a 15th–XVIth century press.

The protections under the title of historical monuments concern the facades of the house (registered in 2000), the poterne, the dovecote, the commons, the wood-pan press, and a lounge decorated with Dutch wallpapers of 1786 (classified in 2001). These elements reflect the successive transformations, especially in the 18th century, where the mansion lost its defensive character to adopt a more elegant residential style.

The dovecote, dated from the end of the sixteenth century, and the press, arranged in an old area to beat, reflect the agricultural and seigneurial activities of the estate. The house body, though remodeled, reveals wooden panels under its 18th century coating, confirming its medieval origin. The poterne, the only notable defensive vestige, recalls the initial stronghold function of the manor house.

The site, a private property, is representative of the architectural evolution of the augen manors, moving from the fortress to the marina. His history is linked to Norman noble families, some of whom have played a national political role, such as Louis-Thibault du Bois. Today, the Bais mansion remains a preserved testimony to this rural and seigneurial heritage.

The available sources (Wikipedia, Monumentum) highlight its heritage importance, especially for its wooden panels, its moat, and its 18th century interior decoration. The location in a valley reinforces its picturesque character, typical of the Manors of Auge, between Caen and Lisieux.

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