First mention of a lord 1225 (≈ 1225)
Quote from a Lord of Courson.
Seconde moitié du XVe siècle
Construction begins
Construction begins Seconde moitié du XVe siècle (≈ 1575)
Main house campaign in square.
Première moitié du XVIe siècle
Completion and redesign
Completion and redesign Première moitié du XVIe siècle (≈ 1625)
End of work, addition of Renaissance elements.
1er décembre 1955
Historical monument classification
Historical monument classification 1er décembre 1955 (≈ 1955)
Protection of facades and roofs.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Facades and roofs: classification by decree of 1 December 1955
Key figures
Seigneur de Courson (1225) - First Lord City
Mentioned in medieval archives.
Origin and history
Courson Manor House is a medieval residence built between the second half of the 15th century and the first half of the 16th century. Located in the present town of Livarot-Pays-d'Auge (Calvados), it stands on the former commune of Notre-Dame-de-Courson, 1.2 km east of the village, between two valleys converging towards the Touques. Its architecture combines a half-timbered square house and a stone gable, with a polygonal turret topped by a corbelled polylobed frontal roof.
The main construction campaign took place during the second half of the 15th century, with changes in the 16th century. Nearby (200 meters to the southwest), a partially levelled feudal motte, about 50 meters in diameter, bears witness to an older occupation. A Lord of Courson was mentioned in 1225, and the family seems to go back to the 11th century.
The facades and roofs of the mansion were classified as historical monuments by order of 1 December 1955. This classification protects an architectural heritage typical of the Pays d'Auge, combining residual defensive elements (such as the motte) and seigneurial Renaissance habitat. Historical sources, such as the works of Arcisse de Caumont (1867) or Henri Pellerin (1962), document its evolution and feudal context.
The site is part of a landscape marked by the old track of Orbec in Livarot and RD 4, reflecting its historic role as a noble residence in an agricultural and strategic region. The presence of the motte suggests a castral origin, while the current mansion illustrates the transition between the Middle Ages and the modern era in Norman architecture.
