Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The barn of the Fortière, located in Evreville-en-Lieuvin in the department of Eure, dates from the 2nd half of the 16th century. This wooden building on masonry solin belonged to the domain of the Manor de la Fortier, whose fief was certified in 1463. Originally, the mansion consisted of a probably fortified house surrounded by moat, while the later barn was distinguished by unusual decorative elements for this type of utility building. Its inter-columbing, initially in torchi, was remodelled in the 18th century, and its frame rests on a portico system creating two uneven bottoms.

The barn was listed as a Historic Monument in 2006 for its architectural and historical interest. It testifies to the rural construction techniques of the Renaissance in Normandy, where agricultural buildings were often associated with local seigneuries. The manor house of the Fortière, on which it depended, was partially destroyed by a fire in 1911, but the barn survived, maintaining its original structure despite minor modifications.

Epireville-en-Lieuvin, a rural commune of Lieuvin, was in modern times a territory marked by agriculture and livestock, as evidenced by the arable land and meadows still dominant today (99.4% of the territory in 2018). The barn, like other local buildings (church, calvary), reflects the seigneurial and religious organization of this Norman region, where manor houses played a central role in the economic and social life of the countryside.

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