A 16th-century manor house and another with building phases around 1530, 1550 and 1580 offer a concrete introduction to the half-timbered architecture of the Pays d’Auge in Saint-Germain-De-Montgommery. Other features include the church at the highest point of a hill, a Norman motte and activities centred on cider. These provide different cultural themes to consider when planning your trip: rural architecture, church furnishings and apple processing.
Manor houses: building phases and half-timbering
The Manoir des Champeaux, also known as the Manoir des Tourelles, was built in the second half of the 16th century. At the beginning of the 17th century, two small towers were added to fortify it. In the 19th century, the manor house’s dovecote was converted into a half-timbering workshop. Several stages from different centuries can therefore be seen side by side: the construction of the house, its later fortification and the conversion of the dovecote. The workshop adds a craft aspect to the building’s history. The dates do not describe a single building phase, but rather changes to the manor house over an extended period.
Three approximate dates are particularly revealing at the Manoir de la Plesse: the main house was built around 1530, extended around 1550 and embellished around 1580. This sequence distinguishes the construction, extension and embellishment, rather than reducing everything to a single year of construction. The manor is a complete rural ensemble of the Pays d’Auge’s half-timbered architecture. It also includes a cider press built in the 16th century. An apple-processing wheel and a press with a long lever have been preserved there. Regional architecture and specific processing technology thus emerge as two aspects of this historic ensemble. Anyone interested in half-timbering can consider the development of the house and the preserved apple-processing mechanisms as distinct topics.
Church, hill and motte
The church of Saint-Germain-de-Montgommery stands at the highest point of a hill and overlooks the Vie valley. Its porch originally came from the former church in Vimoutiers. This detail connects the church’s building history with the earlier origins of one of its architectural elements. Its furnishings offer another perspective: the pulpit dates from the 18th century, and its back panel is decorated with a painted Assumption of the Virgin. The porch and pulpit tell different stories—one about the porch’s origins, the other about the pulpit’s decoration. Together with its position overlooking the valley, they offer architectural, art-historical and landscape perspectives without combining them into a single story.
Another facet is the feudal motte of Saint-Germain-de-Montgommery, a well-preserved Norman earthwork mound. It complements the manor houses’ half-timbering with another form of historic heritage. Those looking to put the area’s history into context will find different architectural points of reference: rural half-timbered architecture, the church’s furnishings and the motte. This variety makes choosing your personal focus a useful starting point for planning your trip.
Cider as a focus in its own right
At La Cave Ă Cidre GAUTARD, cellar tours and tastings are available on site. This offers a different way to discover the area than through its architectural and church history: here, cider is the focus. Opening times and services are not guaranteed. If you are planning a tour or tasting, check in advance what is being offered on your chosen date.
Discover more destinations: Martragny, Saint-Martin-Des-Entrées, Neuilly-La-Forêt, Quetteville, Fatouville-Grestain, Courtonne-La-Meurdrac, Varaville, Saint-Vigor-Le-Grand
For the broader travel overview: Calvados.
