Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Manor House of Heurtevent, also known as the Manor House of La Cour Thomas, is a building located in Heurtevent, a delegated town of Livarot-Pays-d'Auge in Calvados. This monument, dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, consists of two houses built near one another, facing north and south respectively. Their architecture reflects the principles of the 18th century, with rectangular structures, two levels, cut-pan roofs and marked symmetry.

The alleged sponsor is Pierre Thomas, "Counsellor of the Roy, Grinder at Livarot's salt attic". The two houses, La Cour Thomas and Le Manoir Jumeau, were reportedly destined for his two sons. The first, dated 1671, is better preserved than the second, built in 1737, which was restored between 2001 and 2005 after a period of degradation. The facades and roofs of the manor house have been listed as historical monuments since 18 February 1975.

The houses had outbuildings, including commons, a press and a pond. The north house, more elaborate, has a roof of tile and inscriptions dated 1737, while the south house, more sober, is posterior. A cellar, built by exploiting the slope of the terrain, and crucifixes separating the levels recall local architectural features, as at the Coupesarte mansion.

Historical sources point to differences in dates of construction, some evoking two 18th-century buildings. The mansion illustrates Norman rural heritage, marked by constructions linked to agricultural activity and local government, as evidenced by the role of Pierre Thomas in salt management in Livarot.

The recent restoration of the second home has preserved this architectural ensemble, a symbol of the social and economic history of the Auge Country. The two manor houses, although distinct by their decoration and conservation status, form a coherent testimony of the seigneurial and agricultural habitat of the region in the 17th and 18th centuries.

External links