Brioude Property Insight

Brioude is a lovely French town located in the Haute Loire department and in the Auvergne region. With Yssingeaux, it is the sub administrative centre of the department, the administrative centre being Le Puy-en-Velay. With 7,223 inhabitants, called the Brivadois, the town is the third largest of the department.

Overview

The name of the town comes from Briva, which means ‘bridge’. Indeed, at the origin of the town was a bridge used to cross the Allier River, in the south of the Limagne plain. Situated in a strategic location, on the north-south communication axis, the town took advantage of the Saint-Julien cult in order to develop. The town was indeed the second pilgrimage place in Gaulle, after Saint Martin, since the 5th century. Then with the Compostelle pilgrimage, Brioude became an incontrovertible stop for pilgrims. As a consequence, you can imagine that the town displays a large historical, architectural and cultural heritage, all influenced by religion.

Brioude Immobilier & Property Market Trends

House prices in 2009 in France are around €3,200 /sq m, since in Haute Loire prices are around €1,560/sq m, the area can be said to be rather affordable. This is understandable when you look at regional prices, as they do not exceed €1,550 /sq m. This can be explained as it is a very rural area. Even towns in the department are rather small, Le Puy-en-Velay with 20,000 inhabitants being the largest one, and Brioude with only 7,200 inhabitants the third one.

As a result, if you like cosmopolitan cities, then Auvergne might not be for you, however, if you are looking for a piece of heaven, between amazing countryside and passionate history and culture, then Haute Loire, and especially Brioude is your destination!

You can either buy a second-home for you, to go on holidays with you family and enjoy the beautiful nature, but you could also invest in a buy-to-let. In that case you should prefer to invest in a gîte, as most visitors are Compostelle pilgrims, gîtes are the most popular dwellings next to them.

To get updated info about property prices in Haute Loire, please browse our French Property Market Reports published in the News Section every month.

4 Reasons to Buy a Property in Brioude

• Culture, art and historical heritage: Brioude is renowned since the 5th century to be a cult place. Indeed, in the Saint Julien cathedral lies Saint Julien remains. As he was a venerated saint, thousands and thousands of people used to go and see his remains. As a consequence the town developed well and became wealthy. The cathedral was enlarged and many beautiful monuments were built in town. You will also appreciate the modern stained glass windows, and the game of light around them.Nowadays you can still strolling in the old quarter and you will see vestiges of Middle Ages and Renaissance times.

• Vernacular architecture: Haute Loire is renowned to have a very rich rural architectural heritage. Especially in the Limagne plain, which is a plain around the Allier Valley, where Brioude is located. You will see beautiful old farmhouses, but also pigeonniers, vine sheds, bread stone oven, fountains, wash houses, drinking troughs, mills, etc.

• Tranquillity and scenery: Brioude is a very peaceful place where you can enjoy medieval architecture while rocked by the Allier River. You can walk along the river and enjoy the tranquillity that comes out of it.Its quality of life, protected wild life and activities centered on nature make it an appealing and welcoming environment for the tourist.

• Saint Jacques de Compostelle walkway: Brioude, and almost the entire Haute Loire department, is a very popular destination amongst Compostelle pilgrims. It is indeed located at the starting point of one of the four historical walkways (Le Puy-en-Velay) and Brioude is an incontrovertible stop owing to the Saint Julien cathedral.

Property Styles and Architecture in Brioude

• Farmhouses: as already mentioned, the vernacular architecture around Brioude has been well preserved. You will see many farmhouses around the town, some of them beautifully renovated, others will need to be renovated. There are mainly two kinds of farmhouses, the roof making the difference between them. The first one has a shale flagstone gently sloping roof, while the other one has a concave tiles roof very flat. The farmhouse also comes with at least two outbuildings, usually attached to the dwelling part.

• Stone houses: in Haute Loire most houses are made out of stone, however, you can also see some vestiges of half-timbered houses. Stone was used for the main body of the house, but also for the roof. It is surprising, when we know that one third of the territory is covered by forests.

Click here for more info about the Architecture in Auvergne.