Timeline

Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The farm of Villebasse is an isolated pastoral farm-block, located at nearly 1,000 m above sea level at Villebasse (formerly "La Ville" in the 16th century), south-west of the village of Grand'Combe-des-Bois. It illustrates the rural architecture of the Doubs, grouping under one stable roof, housing and barn, with a central kitchen organized around the killed (traditional fireplace) and bread oven. Its columns and stone and wood walls reflect local constructive techniques, shared with the neighbouring Swiss Valangin, separated by the Doubs, which then marked the border.

In the 16th century, the village depended on the seigneury of Vennes, and the local farms, already described as "stone and wood", testify to a careful implementation, comparable to the houses of Valangin. A farm owned by Jehan Regnault is mentioned in notarial acts of the 16th century at the same place, suggesting that the present farm of Villebass could be heir to it. Its defensive elements (three murderers) and decorative elements (windows, lintels) probably date from this period or from the seventeenth century. The latest, more recent, southwestern span would date from before the 19th century.

Operated by the Jeannin family between 1833 and 1889, then farmed by Marie Philomène Joly and her son Maurice Bern (the ancestors of the current owners), the farm ceased farming in 1957 and became a secondary residence. This transition is accompanied by changes such as the decaling of walls, the addition of aluminum window doors, and the development of a kitchen and bathroom in the old stable. Classified as a Historic Monument in 2021, it now embodies the Franc-Comtois rural heritage.

In modern times, local households often lived in two-room housing (too with the killed and stove), sometimes shared between several households. The more spacious Villebasse farm reflects an optimised domestic and agricultural organization, adapted to the climatic and topographical constraints of the Doubs highlands. Its recent inscription highlights its architectural and historical interest, linked to pastoral life and cross-border exchanges with neighbouring Switzerland.

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