Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Lavaud Manor House, located in Saint-Maurice-la-Souterraine (Creuse), is a rectangular house with one floor covered with flat tiles, typical of the late 15th and early 16th centuries. It was initially flanked by a round stair tower with an entrance door to the front façade, as well as a tower with a south-east corner, partially abrased. The vestiges of a corner chaining on the rear façade suggest an interior split wall. The staircase in screws, made of wood, served two large rooms per level, with separate floors and fireplaces: dirt and stone carved on the ground floor, tomettes and laurel leaf decoration on the first floor.

The interior fittings, still original, reveal a manor house of type common in Limousin, with a closed courtyard and a central well, rare arrangement in the northwest of Creuse. The first mention of Lavaud's fief, vassal of Bridiers' Viscounty, dates back to 1461, but its construction probably dates back to the second half of the 16th century. In January 1994, the manor house was listed in the Historical Monuments, before collapsing in the same year. The angle tower was partially disassembled, and the turret door was made of bricks.

The site includes medieval and modern buildings organized around the courtyard, reflecting a continuous occupation since the Middle Ages. Although the accuracy of its location is poor (level 5/10), the mansion remains a major architectural and historical testimony of the region, despite its current state. Private property, its access and uses (visits, events) are not documented in available sources.

External links