| Introduction
Discover a medieval environment as described by Umberto Eco in his
novel 'The Name of the Rose'. Here you might even find the very places
that Eco used as inspiration for his book.
Borie of Savanac was founded in the Middle Ages as a country residence
in a small settlement of wealthy merchants from the nearby city of Cahor.
They used the fortified buildings for securely storing merchandise outside
of the city. Conveniently situated near the Lot River, the location
provided direct access to transporting their goods via river trade.
Borie of Savanac is the best-preserved example of a medieval residence
estate in the whole valley. Over the centuries the premises were altered
and eventually the complex nearly fell into complete ruin. At the beginning
of the 20th century the remains of the building complex were finally
only used to dry tobacco from the nearby fields.
In 1981 Claire and Christian Schmitter, who had met some years earlier
when they were studying conservation in Venice, purchased their first
part of the building ensemble. Renovating and restoring it during the
following years, they also gradually purchased additional parts of the
entire complex.
In 2002 they started the reconstruction and remodeling of the oldest
parts of the estate including reorganizing and rebuilding all the various
floor levels.
They took great care to preserve as much of the original substance as
possible. Thereby their efforts were recognized by the National Association
for the Preservation of Monuments and Historic Buildings which awarded
the project special financial support.
The impressive results of the Schmitters' meticulous and passionate
endeavor can only be glimpsed in the documentary photos at this Website.
Rather come for a visit to experience for yourself the splendor and
romance of this amazing medieval building newly enhanced with all the
comforts of contemporary living.
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North Facade showing staircase to Studio 1 and the private sun deck
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