Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The House at Bar is a fortified farm located at Mont-Dieu, in the Ardennes, built between the end of the 16th and the beginning of the 17th century. This elongated building, partially surrounded by ditches, had a square tower with a steeple to defend a drawbridge that is now extinct. Its narrow openings and isolation from wet pastures near the Ardennes Canal reflect its defensive and agricultural role.

An old dependence of the Chartreux du Mont-Dieu, the farm housed three activities: herding, fishing and exchanging food via boats to the Meuse. A chimney cap dated 1626 attests to his occupation at that time. Sold as a national good during the Revolution, it was acquired by John Abraham André Poupart de Neuflize, a Protestant manufacturer of Sedan, who took refuge there discreetly with his wife during the Terror.

In the 19th century, isolation and livestock diseases caused by surrounding swamps led to its abandonment. Ranked a historic monument in 1926, the farm was restored at the end of the 20th century. Its history reflects the upheavals of the Revolution and the decline of isolated farms.

Close to the Chartreuse du Mont-Dieu, transformed into a prison during the Revolution, the farm also illustrates the links between religious heritage and local economic activities. The GR14 trail passes 300 metres, highlighting its integration into the historical landscape of the Ardennes.

External links