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Origin and history

Corday Manor House, also known as Cauvigny Manor House, is a late Middle Ages building built around 1585. Located 2 km west of the town of Renouard, in the department of Orne, it illustrates the wood-paned architecture typical of the country of Auge. Its facades, adorned with complex half-timbers and sturdies in tiles, reflect remarkable craftsmanship for the time. The castle rests on a base of sandstone and limestone, adapted to the natural slope of the land.

In the 18th century, the mansion became the property of Jacques Adrien de Corday de Cauvigny, grandfather of Charlotte Corday, emblematic figure of the French Revolution. The latter changed the interior, replacing the central staircase with a dining room. The building, nicknamed "Logis des Corday", maintains a gallery serving upstairs rooms, as well as beams painted with floral motifs. The commons, dating from the 18th century, include press, barn and stables, testifying to its agricultural role.

Partly listed as historical monuments since 1948, Corday's mansion also owes its reputation to its connection with Charlotte Corday, whose assassination of Jean-Paul Marat in 1793 marked history. The facades and roofs of the communes were protected in 1997, consolidating the preservation of this Norman heritage. Its architecture, blending half-timbers and Renaissance elements, makes it a rare example of the Augean mansion of the late 16th century.

The two main facades contrast with their style: the one, on the west, has complex crumbs and a frieze of tilted posts, while the other, on the east, has vertical spans in pink bricks. The skylights overlooking the roof and the monumental chimneys of the main rooms underline the seigneurial character of the place. Surrounded by wood-paned outbuildings, the mansion embodies both a noble home and a functional agricultural estate.

The protection of the castle in 1948, followed by that of the communes in 1997, attests to its heritage value. Today, Corday's mansion remains a symbol of the country of Auge, combining local history and national memory. Its state of conservation allows us to study the constructive techniques of the time, as well as the evolution of the uses of a Norman mansion between the Middle Ages and the Revolution.

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