Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Vaunard mansion, also known as the Vaunard farm, is an iconic building in Caen, Calvados. Built between the second half of the 16th century and the first half of the 17th century, it is distinguished by its stone architecture of Caen and half-timber, as well as by a pentagonal turret. Located at 14 rue de la Masse, it is integrated into the enclosure of the Hospital Clemenceau, near the park of the former Abbey of Ladies.

The family of Bernières, an influential nobility of Caen, owns the mansion in the 17th and 18th centuries. In 1778, Colonel de Bernières-Louvigny, the last descendant, sold him to the Benedictines of Notre-Dame de Bon-Secours. The estate, then composed of a manor house, a courtyard, a garden and a pigeon run, extends over 16 acres. The outbuildings were destroyed in 1908 when the hospital was built, and the house body was transformed into a laundry room.

The facades and roofs of the manor house have been listed as historical monuments since 12 July 1973. In the late 2010s, an urban planning operation aimed at rehabilitating it. In 2020, it was sold to real estate developers for housing. A motto, "IN YOUR PERIL PRIE", adorns a skylight, recalling its historical heritage.

The building is now at the heart of a development project, in a context where the former hospital Clemenceau is gradually disused. Its architecture and history make it a rare testimony to the heritage of the country, between local nobility and urban transformation.

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