Languedoc Roussillon Mas / Magnanerie

One of the house types seen in Languedoc Roussillon House is the Mas. It is also sometimes called Magnanerie, referring to the Mas properties where silkworms were raised.

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A Mas is a type of traditional Languedoc Roussillon farmhouse property being a medium-to-large rural property. A Mas can also be a Bastide-style French house, a farm or part of a domaine.

The traditional Provence Mas / Magnanerie.

The Languedoc Roussillon Mas or Magnanerie is a traditional house from the south of France, originally a farm producing fruit, vegetables, grain, milk, meat and even silkworms. These traditional properties are made of local stones.

Not every farmhouse in Languedoc Roussillon can be described as a Mas, that has distinctive features:

• The house is built to have its rear facing the dominant wind direction.
• On this side of the house, windows of very small dimensions appear that allow to insulate the house against the summer heat or the winter cold.
• Languedoc Roussillon mas are generally rectangular-shaped houses having gently sloping roofs, but can be of L or U shape. A small Mas is called Mazet or Petit Mas.

The size of a Mas property depends on the wealth of its original occupants. The Mas was always built of inexpensive local stones or wood. Stones were generally taken in the neighbouring Durance River.

Some other Mas built according to the architecture of Languedoc Roussillon used red stones and clay (foremost in the Roussillon area of France). Some others were built with stones from spain, the Spanish influence in the region being strong on culture and architecture.

The traditional Languedoc Roussillon Mas is nowadays a very sought-after types of properties.

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SEARCH FOR A LANGUEDOC PROPERTY:
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• Next: Languedoc Roussillon Farmhouses
• Summary of Languedoc Roussillon Architecture