Domaine de la Merlière à Châteauneuf-de-Galaure dans la Drôme

Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Domaine de la Merlière, classified as a Historical Monument, is an exceptional testimony of traditional agriculture of the sixteenth, seventeenth and nineteenth centuries. Based on three economic pillars — breeding, vine cultivation and silk production through silkworms — this area has remained active until the modern era. Its spatial organization reflects an autonomous operation, with a central house connected by an orangery to service buildings (sellery, stable, logger, soda and den), supplemented by a bread oven, a vegetable garden, a dovecot and a silkworm grower.

The house, dating from the 16th and 17th centuries, still houses original structures, including a monumental staircase. Although the façade was redesigned in the 19th century, these modifications did not alter the historical interior layout. The whole, including its terrace and supports, was included in the inventory of Historical Monuments by order of 19 December 1997, highlighting its heritage value as an intact example of a versatile agricultural estate.

The location of the estate in Châteauneuf-de-Galaure in Drôme (region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes), makes it a key element in understanding the evolution of agricultural and craft practices in Rhône-Alpes. Its approximate address, 75 Chemin du Coteau, and its Insee code (26083) confirm its anchoring in the Drômois territory, near Valencia. Available sources, such as the Merimée and Monumentum base, attest to its historical and architectural importance.

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