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Key figures

Origin and history

The old castle of the Essarts, locally called "the Old Castle", is a building in ruins located on the former town of Essarts, now integrated in Essarts-en-Bocage (Vendée, Pays-de-la-Loire). Its origins date back to a castral motte built between the 9th and 11th centuries, succeeding a Roman sacrificial motte. This first defensive structure, located northwest of the present castle, conditioned the curved shape of the later enclosure, built to bypass it.

In the 12th century, an almost pentagonal feudal castle was erected, flanked by square towers, including the Sarrazine tower serving as a dungeon. The 14th and 15th centuries saw transformations, such as the addition of mâchicoulis and dachauguettes, as well as the construction of a remarkable entrance castle: two horse-drawn iron towers joined to a square tower, equipped with two drawbridges (carrier and pedestrian). A second castle, opposed to the first, is integrated into the seigneurial house built between the 13th and 14th centuries.

At the beginning of the sixteenth century, a Renaissance house was added to the medieval enclosure. The current ruins, protected by an order of 13 July 1962 (Historical Monuments), also include a 12th century portal from the ancient church of Essarts, moved to the adjacent park. This 25-hectare park, designed by the Bühler brothers, is adjacent to the remains.

The castle belonged to several nobiliary lines, including Aspremont, Chabot, Vivonne, La Rochefoucauld, Lespinay and Rougé. In 2002, the Viscount Jacques de Rougé, then owner, founded the Association Les Amis du Vieux-Château des Essarts to enhance the site. Today, the ruins and the park remain private property, testifying to almost a thousand years of architectural and seigneurial history.

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