Domaine de la Baronnie, Medieval villa in Douvres-la-Délivrande, France

Domaine de la Baronnie is a medieval estate in Douvres-la-Délivrande whose surviving buildings date from the 13th to 15th centuries. The Grand Logis, a manor of pale beige masonry with a steep red-tiled roof, a small dormer and a stone chimney, was restored to its 14th-century exterior appearance and now contains four rooms, including the vaulted Salle des Arcades and the Salle des Barons. A barn and the scant remains of a Saint-Symphorien chapel stand within a walled four-hectare enclosure.

The fief of Douvres became a barony in 1072, held by a family close to William the Conqueror; Richard de Douvres was Bishop of Bayeux from 1107 to 1133, after which the barony passed to the bishops of Bayeux, who all bore the title Baron of Douvres until the Revolution. Confided to tenant farmers in the 18th century, it was sold as national property for 50,400 livres. In June 1944 it housed a dispensary for the wounded of Douvres.

The Grand Logis rooms carry names tied to the site's owners: the Salle des Barons (99 m²) and the adjoining Salle des Évêques (44 m²) on the first floor, the Salle des Ornements (44 m²) with a wall fresco on the ground floor, and the Salle des Arcades (41 m²), the former cellar, below. The bishops of Bayeux held the title of baron of Douvres until the Revolution.

The property is located within easy walking distance of Saint-Rémy Church, making it simple to find. Visitors should contact ahead since the spaces are primarily arranged for private events and group bookings.

In the Jardin Bleu behind the former barn lie Yvonne Paulmier, baronne de Marcay, who died in 1950, and her companion Agnès Aignan, the estate's last private owner, who died in 1986. The dark blue marble slab sits at the centre of paths paved with blue schist from the Cotentin.