Construction of the farm XVIIe - XVIIIe siècles (≈ 1850)
Main period of the current building.
début du XIXe siècle
Dendrochronology
Dendrochronology début du XIXe siècle (≈ 1904)
Scientific analysis of certain parts.
14 mars 1925
Classification of the buckwheat chimney
Classification of the buckwheat chimney 14 mars 1925 (≈ 1925)
Protection for historical monuments.
fin du XIXe siècle
Reconstruction of the residence
Reconstruction of the residence fin du XIXe siècle (≈ 1995)
Replacement of the medieval house by a villa.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Cheminée sarrazine with its mitre : classification by decree of 14 March 1925
Key figures
Baron de la Serve - Owner and reconstructor
Built the villa in the late 19th century.
Gabriel Jeanton - History and inventor
Found the farm in the 1920s.
Martine Diot - Expert in rural architecture
Studyed the site (publication 2005).
Origin and history
The farm of Saint-Romain is an agricultural monument located in the hamlet of Saint-Romain, on the commune of Romenay (Saône-et-Loire), in Burgundy-Franche-Comté. It is distinguished by its typical 17th and 18th century architecture, with wooden walls and roofs covered with hollow tiles. The site is surrounded by hedges and adjacent to the Bois des Faivées, in a forest setting overlooking the Seille River.
The farm houses one of the three Saracen fireplaces still visible in Saône-et-Loire, a rare and emblematic architectural element. This chimney and its mitre were classified as historical monuments on March 14, 1925. The estate also includes an 18th century chapel, a stone well, and a pond, testimonies of a historical agricultural and residential complex.
Originally, the domain of Saint-Romain dates back to the Middle Ages, with a medieval house body replaced at the end of the 19th century by a villa-style residence, built by Baron de la Serve. The farm, identified in the 1920s for its sarrasine fireplace house body, was dated by early 19th century dendrochronology for some parts. Its organisation around a courtyard and its traditional furniture (like an archebanc) reflect the rural way of life in Bressan.
Historical sources, including the works of Martine Diot and Agnès Bruno, highlight the architectural importance of this site, representative of the rural habitat in Bresse between the 15th and 19th centuries. The farm is mentioned in the inventories of Gabriel Jeanton and the departmental archives of Saône-et-Loire, confirming its heritage role in the region.
