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Origin and history

The barn of the Farm of Herivaaux, located in Luzarches in Val-d'Oise, dates from the 4th quarter of the 12th century. It belonged to the abbey of Herivaux, founded in 1140 by Ascelin, seigneur of Marly-la-Ville, on land ceded by the Counts of Beaumont and Clermont. The initial hermitage became an Augustinian abbey in 1160 under the impulse of Maurice de Sully, bishop of Paris, who financed the church and cloister. The barn, attested as early as 1187, illustrates the agricultural importance of the estate, with a three vessel structure typical of the agro-pastoral barns.

The abbey prospered thanks to donations and income from cures and priories in Île-de-France. In the 13th century, Hérivals became a parish, but gradually declined. In 1632 a fire seriously damaged the buildings, requiring repairs until 1634. The reform of the Augustins in 1639, led by Father Faure, attempted to redress the situation, but the mismanagement of Abbé François Molé (1647-1712) aggravated the degradation, reducing the community to a handful of monks.

The French Revolution marked a turning point: the abbey, sold as a national property in 1791, was acquired by Benjamin Constant in 1795. The latter had most buildings demolished, saving only the farm and its pavilion. The barn, separated from the abbey, was preserved and classified as a Historic Monument in 1998. Today, it remains as a witness to medieval architecture, surrounded by buildings rebuilt after the fire of the eighteenth century.

The site, passed into the hands of jeweler Georges Mauboussin in the inter-war period, was restored and enlarged by architect Paul Ruaud. During the Second World War, the sites served as residences for German officers. Although the abbey is today a private lotie property, the barn and some ruins of the church remain visible, recalling its monastic and agricultural past.

The barn is distinguished by its three five-span vessels, bounded by arched arches. Unlike the cereal barns, its openings are located on the drip walls, suggesting a mixed use (farming and storage). Texts from 1714 confirm the partial use of the lower side as stables, while maintaining a north-south orientation typical of the cereal barns.

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