Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Logis de Laspois, in Saint-Martin-du-Fouilloux (Deux-Sèvres), finds its origins in a feudal motte attested from the twelfth century. The first written records date back to 1183 with Simon de Lespaus, lord of the place. Over the centuries, the fief passed into the hands of noble families such as the Laspaye, the Boysson, or the Couhé, before being profoundly changed in the 18th century.

In the 17th century, the estate was marked by estate conflicts, especially after the death of René de Laspaye in 1586. The fief was then awarded to René Boysson, mayor of Poitiers, before being sent by marriage to Couhé and then to Rousseau. From 1724 onwards, they undertook a major renovation campaign, transforming the house into a home more in keeping with the classic tastes of the eighteenth century.

Rousseau, family of doctors and local notables, kept the estate until the 19th century. Pierre Henri Rousseau, heir to the 18th century, cleared the wooded lands to create crops. Its descendant, Saint-Ange Courbe, made architectural changes in the 19th century (upgrading of roofs, creation of a chapel). The house, partially in ruins in the 20th century, was bought in 2017 by the Godard family, which is beginning its restoration.

The building reveals medieval traces, such as a 13th-14th century chimney and filled moat, attesting to its defensive origin. The successive transformations (ceilings to the French, 18th century panelling) partially mask this old structure. Enlisted in the Historical Monuments in 1987, the house illustrates the architectural evolution of a fief poitevin over nearly nine centuries.

Today, the current owners aim to restore the house in its 17th and 18th century state, relying on archives and a rigorous analysis of the building. The site, long unknown, is gradually reintegrated as a key element of the local heritage of Saint-Martin-du-Fouilloux.

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