Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château du Houssoy, located in the commune of Crouy-sur-Ourcq (Seine-et-Marne), was built in the 14th century by Jean de Sépoix to replace an older structure. This medieval castle, typical of the defensive architecture of the period, passed into the hands of several noble families, including the Cossé-Brissac, before being acquired in 1665 by René Potier de Gesvres from Marguerite Payen. Subsequent owners gradually negliged the fief, reducing the site today to a farm and a square dungeon, the only witnesses of its past.

The castle was the subject of two protections under the Historical Monuments: a wing with machicoulis along the avenue de la Gare was registered in 1932, while the dungeon and a gable wall of the old house (with its chimneys) were classified in 1962. In 2019, his archives were entrusted to the Seine-et-Marne Departmental Archives, preserving part of his history. The site, now owned by an association, retains remarkable architectural elements, although partially disappeared.

The current remains, including the dungeon and the traces of fortifications, illustrate the evolution of a castle as a seigneurial residence and then as a farm. The location in Crouy-sur-Ourcq, in an area marked by Parisian influence from the Middle Ages, underlines its historic role in controlling the territory and the channels of communication. The machicoulis and the preserved chimneys offer an overview of the constructive techniques of the 14th and 15th centuries, a period between feudality and Renaissance.

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