The Maison d’Ozé of Alençon !

Posted in France

I take you now on a bit of an off the beaten paht tour of Alençon , in the Orne dept 61 of the region of Normandie and in my belle France. A wonderful town often over looked but worth the detour, me think, I like to update this older post with new text and links for you and me, Therefore, let me tell you a bit on the Maison d’Ozé of Alençon ! Hope you enjoy the post as I,

The Maison d’Ozé or House of Ozé from the 14C of monumental and severe aspect, this house with simple lines and pure, half-manor, half-strong house, with the thick walls, is a construction of granite located at n,10 of the rue d’Etoupée, between the ramparts of Plénître and the Place de la Magdeleine ,then occupied by the cemetery of Notre-Dame parish. The main part, comprising a large porch, belongs to the transition style of the second half of the 15C; the adjoining pavilion, with pointed roofs, is of the following century, but it was built in harmony with the latter. The first floor is lit by several high windows, some of which have mullions. The interior of the building is composed of very beautiful rooms. The rear facade, overlooking a garden, includes a cylindrical turret with a square top. From the garden, the visitor can see vestiges of ramparts constituting the fences of this property and which recall the fortified city.

alencon-maison-d-oze-now-tourism-ofc-jan19

The Historical Society moved into two rooms from 1906 to 1927, when the museum was built there until 1981. The school of music found its place in the building until 1973. The Hôtel du Mesnil now houses exhibition halls and the services of the Tourist Office. In the garden, there is a granite window, with a lintel double brace and shield, from the destruction of the oven ban which was located rue du Bercail. This window would be that of the girl’s room, or of the wife, of the keeper who would have had kindness for the King of Navarre , again!  in 1576. At the foot of the Maison d’Ozé there is an experimental garden of  585 m2 of orchards managed for maintenance by the town of Alençon and the Orne Horticulture Society.

A bit of history I like tell us that Guillaume Le Coustellier, alderman of the city, secretary of the Duke of Alençon Charles IV and son-in-law of Catherine Le Gay, lady of Ozé owned it. On the death of Guillaume, who became lord of Ozé after the death of his mother-in-law, hence the name given to the house, the hotel falls to his daughter Jeanne, wife of Jean de Frotté, secretary of the Duchess of Alençon Marguerite d’Orléans, who sells it to François, her elder brother in 1566. It is he who has built the pavilion adjoining the building. His eldest son, Thomas, maitre d’hôtel of the King of Navarre, future Henri IV, married in 1573 Françoise de Courdemanche who, it is said, will make several honors of the residence to welcome the Vert-Galant.  The property remains in the hands of the family Le Coustellier until 1616, date when it is sold and subsequent purchases to 1854, the building wasthen  bought by the City of Alençon in 1861 in the project, it is then used in 1865 to house the fine arts exhibition, as a barracks in September 1871, then converted into a nursery school.

The City of Alençon on its heritage : https://alencon.fr/mes-sortiesmon-temps-libre/tourisme-et-patrimoine/monuments-et-architecture/

The Alençon tourist office on the City of dukes see Ozé: https://www.visitalencon.com/alen%C3%A7on-cit%C3%A9-des-ducs?lang=en

There you go folks, a unique walk and very educational to get knowledge into the city of Alençon. Do hope you enjoy this off the beaten path gem of the City, Again, hope you enjoy this post on the Maison d’Ozé of Alençon ! as I.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!

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Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

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