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Origin and history

The castle of Fumichon stands on the same name commune of the Calvados department in Normandy. Built mainly in the 16th and 17th centuries, it embodies the architecture of the flat houses of this time, mixing brick and stone. Its ditches, removed in the 18th century, and its house body partially rebuilt under Louis-Philippe testify to successive transformations. The estate, with an area of 139 hectares at its peak, included farms, mills and a river, reflecting its economic and seigneurial importance.

Originally, the land belonged to the families of Fumichon (XII–III centuries) and then Longchamp (XV century). The building of the castle is attributed to Jean de Fumichon, ardent leaguer rallied to Henri IV, and perhaps to his father, Guy de Longchamp, both lords of the place and governors of Lisieux. In the 17th century, the estate passed by alliance to the Rabodanges (1635–1733), then to the Herment and Houlley, before being acquired by the Loynes in the 18th century. The castle, inscribed in the historical monuments in 1927, illustrates the social and architectural changes of the Norman nobility.

Fumichon Castle, contemporary to that of Ouilly-du-Houley (built by the same Jean de Longchamp), is distinguished by its sober style and local materials. The removal of ditches in the 18th century by Jean-Marie Herment and subsequent reconstructions under Louis-Philippe changed its original appearance. In 1816, a sales poster described a prosperous estate, including mills, woods and orchards, highlighting its central role in the local economy. Today, there remains a testimony of the seigneurial and agricultural history of the region.

Protected since 1927, the Château de Fumichon is cited in works such as the Monumental Statistics of Calvados d'Arcisse de Caumont (1867) and the Richesse des châteaux du Pays d'Auge de Philippe Déterville (1989). These sources document its evolution, from seigneurial residence to heritage monument, while highlighting its link with the great Norman families and the political upheavals of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

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