Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The mansion of the abbesses of Saint-Amand, located in Boos, Seine-Maritime, belongs to the abbey of Saint-Amand of Rouen from 1035 until the French Revolution. The present building, built in the 13th century, is a typical example of medieval seigneurial habitat. Its octagonal dovecote, decorated in 1520 by Masséot Abaquesne with geometrical motifs and human heads, was classified as a historical monument in 1889. This dovecote, made of brick and earthenware, illustrates the art of the Norman Renaissance.

The mansion preserves Romanesque and Gothic remains, especially in its primitive medieval-framed home. In the 15th century, a tithe barn was added, while in the 18th century, lateral extensions and enclosure walls complete the whole. These elements, as well as the former Gate of the Champs, are listed as historical monuments in 1996 and 1997. The site, still partially visible, reflects architectural evolution over centuries.

The mansion is built of stone, with agricultural brick buildings. Its well-preserved enclosure still limits the historic land base. The house, representative of the 13th and 14th centuries, and the dovecote, decorated with earthenware by a renowned craftsman, make it a remarkable heritage complex. The property, shared between the department and private owners, remains a testimony to the religious and seigneurial history of Normandy.

Masséot Abaquesne, a 16th century Rouenian ceramicist, is the author of the decorations of the dovecote. The latter, ranked among the first French historical monuments in 1889, preceded by more than a century the inscriptions of the rest of the mansion. The successive protections (1996, 1997) cover the house, enclosure walls, tithe barn and archaeological remains of the soil, highlighting the historic and artistic significance of the site.

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