Prades, Rhône 07380

A 16th-century manor house and its heated swimming pool, in the foothills overlooking the Ardèche River, upstream from the town of Aubenas. First mentioned as of 1414, the Fabrias fiefdom is part of a long history: built on behalf of the Lord of Chanaleilles, who made it his stronghold until 1735, it was constructed over the vestiges of a ruin, as attested by a construction note from 1610. It was then passed into the hands of Cappendu de Remeuil, architect to the King and a prominent figure in the region, before becoming the residence of Agnès Perrin-Lacroix in 1986, who eventually sold it to its current owners in 2005. Appearing to have been built mostly over the same time period, the house's walls, the thickness of which varies between 0.98 and 1.3 metres, bear witness to a solid and long-lasting construction. As for its interior, chestnut ceiling beams cadence the space, while the floors juxtapose hardwood and original terracotta tiles, some of which are hand painted. In addition, behind the house, an immense cistern hollowed out of the rock, visible in certain areas, collects rainwater, whereas, higher up and sheltered from view, a swimming pool, heated by the sun, is supplied with the white water of the surrounding natural springs. Built into the rock itself, the property, in perfect harmony with its environment, also comes with a former threshing platform located on the other side of the small street and facing the house's front door, which is now used as a patio overlooking a garden in which a stream snakes its way through olive and fruit trees as well as other vegetation native to the South of France.