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Origin and history

The farm of Vaux is a former mansion located in Gisors, Eure, Normandy. Mentioned from the 12th century as a fief and parish, it was then a strategic point on the defence line of the Epte, border between the French royal domain and the Duchy of Normandy. In 1186 Richard de Vals, knight of the king of France, had his mansion strengthened and built the chapel of St. Lawrence, under the authority of the archbishop of Rouen. This site, marked by conflicts, suffers especially during the Hundred Years' War and the looting of the League.

The estate, owned by the Boudevilles, was rebuilt in the late 16th or early 17th century. In the 18th century, the Mainneville family added a new house and a park, thus modernising the whole. Sold as a national property around 1792, the mansion became a farm in the 19th century, with major changes in dependencies in the 19th and 20th centuries. Agricultural activity ceased in 1996, and after a period of degradation, the site was purchased in 2018. An agreement with the Fondation du Patrimoine in 2024 and its selection at the Lotto du Patrimoine in 2025 marked the beginning of its restoration, notably for the chapel Saint-Laurent.

The manor consists of a set of buildings organised around a closed courtyard, punctuated with round pepper roof towers. The chapel, transformed into a barn, the house and the 17th century outbuildings rest on a preserved enclosure. The hydraulic system and traces of the park remain, testifying to its aristocratic past. Together, including archaeological remains and old gardens, has been listed as historical monuments since 26 December 2001.

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