Domaine de Sybirol, 18th century estate in Floirac, France

Domaine de Sybirol is an estate spanning more than 20 hectares of wooded grounds, with a rectangular main house and elongated side wings. The property includes several protected structures such as a water tower, fountain, underground cooling chamber, and three entrance gates with ancient stone walls.

The medieval house of Feuillas, known since the 15th century, was a meeting place for Huguenots during the Wars of Religion and received Michel de Montaigne in 1585, then the duke of Épernon in 1649 and Cardinal Mazarin in 1650. It was demolished and entirely rebuilt between 1722 and 1728 by Bernard de Lamolère-Sibirol, a lawyer at the Bordeaux Parliament and director of the Bordeaux mint, from whom the estate takes its name. In 1765 his nephew Jean-Baptiste de Lamolère, a white creole from Saint-Domingue, bought it.

The interior rooms display elements typical of 18th-century French design, with wooden paneling, decorative plasterwork, and ornate fireplaces throughout. These details reflect the craftsmanship and taste that defined upper-class homes of that era.

The property is extensive and requires time to explore its various areas and structures. Visitors should wear sturdy footwear for walking across the wooded grounds.

The salle fraîche, or rafraîchissoir, has two parts: an ornamental basin ringed by balusters, fed by rainwater pipes, and a vaulted underground room about 3 by 6 metres. A cistern 50 cm deep at floor level received the overflow from the basin above; men cooled themselves on a floor under which the water spread.