Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Chatelars, located in Meursac in Charente-Maritime, finds its origins in a document of 1411 evoking the land of Châtelard, held since 1360 by the vassal lords of Cozes. Perrinet de Chailly, the first known lord, passed the estate on to the Gua family in 1411. This line preserves Châtelard for nearly two centuries, dividing into two branches: the eldest remains on site, while the youngest settles in Royan, where Pierre du Gua was born (1558–1628), a notable figure. The castle then passes through successive alliances at Montgaillard, then at the Joubert de Chaillonnay at the beginning of the seventeenth century.

In the middle of the 17th century, Châtelard entered the Voyer de Paulmy family via the marriage of Marie-Diane Joubert with René de Voyer, State Councillor. The estate, now managed as a property, is poorly maintained. Marie-Diane, governess of the natural children of Louis XIV and Madame de Montespan, died in Versailles in 1683. His daughter, Françoise Thérèse de Voyer, a brief mistress of Louis XIV, illustrates the social ascent of the family. The castle then returned to his sister Angélique, wife of Ambassador Michel-Antoine Tambonneau, before undergoing complex successions leading to his sale in 1753 to Louis Daulnis, local lord.

The 19th century marked a turning point with the acquisition of the castle by Abbé Jean-Baptiste Bigot in 1810, followed by Abbé Pohu, who sold it to Marguerite-Thérèse Montaury in 1885. The latter launched the first restoration campaign, corrected in 1929 by architect Michel Bridet on behalf of Emile Rouyer-Guillet, heir to a dynasty of traders in brandies. A final restoration in 1948 erased the traces of German and French military occupations during the Second World War. Ranked a historic monument in 2001, the castle today embodies a preserved architectural heritage, witness to the social and political changes of the Saintonge.

Architecturally, Chatelars is a typical example of the small castles of the first Renaissance, mixing medieval elements such as a stair tower in out-of-work screws and a dogive vault, with wide openings with crumbles. The rectangular house, covered with a high roof, is flanked by a polygonal tower and adorned with hanging dormers. These features, coupled with its turbulent history, make it an emblematic monument of the Charente-Maritime, reflecting both local and national influences on its evolution.

External links