Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Saint-Quentin-d'Elle, located in Bérigny in the Manche, is an 18th century residence built by the Dodin family of Saint-Quentin. It replaces a 17th century family mansion and rises near a medieval chapel, former parish church of the village of Saint-Quentin-d'Elle, attached to Bérigny in 1812. This castle, partly inscribed with historical monuments, illustrates the architectural and social evolution of the region.

The chapel, of medieval origin (13th-14th centuries), was transformed into a stable during World War II before falling into ruins. Restored by a local mobilization, it houses bones attesting to its use as a parish cemetery. The castle, of Louis XV style, includes commons like a 19th century stable and an unfinished wall, vestige of a vegetable project never realized.

The Dodin de Saint-Quentin family, who had been living on these lands since 1539, obtained the right to add Saint-Quentin to his name in 1641. Guillaume-Henri de Saint-Quentin (1720–85) built the castle after his marriage in 1745. The line died in the 20th century, and the castle, abandoned after 1945, was bought in 1974 by Michel Levard, who undertook his restoration. Today, it bears witness to local history and Norman architecture.

During the Second World War, the castle will successively house nuns, then the German and American armies. In the 1960s, he was abandoned before his partial restoration. The protected elements include facades, roofs, a wrought iron staircase (1975), as well as the chapel and floor of the old cemetery (1993).

External links