Norman catch 869 (≈ 869)
Fortress attested as taken by the Normans.
entre 1182 et 1190
Construction of dungeon
Construction of dungeon entre 1182 et 1190 (≈ 1190)
Period of construction of the main dungeon.
fin XIIIe siècle
Tower Radepont
Tower Radepont fin XIIIe siècle (≈ 1395)
Added defensive tower.
1449
Resumption on the English
Resumption on the English 1449 (≈ 1449)
Castle transferred to the Duchy of Alençon.
1605
Dismantling
Dismantling 1605 (≈ 1605)
Destroyed after the Wars of Religion.
7 septembre 1979
MH classification
MH classification 7 septembre 1979 (≈ 1979)
Protection for historical monuments.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Medieval castle (old) and vestiges that depend on it (cf. G 79, 357, 358, 82, 83): classification by decree of 7 September 1979
Key figures
Hugues Capet - King of France
Seated the castle around 944.
Origin and history
The Château d'Exmes, built at the beginning of the 12th century on a rocky spur near the church of St Andrew, is a key vestige of Norman fortifications. Its origins date back to 869, when a fortress was taken by the Normans, then reinforced in the Xth-XI century by the Dukes of Normandy to protect the region from invasions. The site, strategic, was equipped with a dungeon between 1182 and 1190, followed by the Radepont tower at the end of the 13th century. These adjustments reflect its growing military role, linked to tensions between Plantagenets and Capetians.
The fortress experienced a gradual decline after the Wars of Religion, which damaged its walls. Dismantled in 1605, his stones were used to build the Priory Notre-Dame-des-Loges. Two chapels marked its history: Saint-Nicolas, attested in the fifteenth century, and Saint-Chrodegang, erected between 1879 and 1889 on the hill. The site, classified as a historical monument in 1979, preserves earthworks and ruins bearing witness to its defensive past.
The remains, located at the place called the Fosses and the Castle in the new municipality of Gouffern en Auge (Orne), illustrate the evolution of medieval military techniques. The 28-metre wide ditch, barring the triangular spur, highlights Norman defensive engineering. Today, privately owned, the castle offers an overview of the conflicts that shaped Lower Normandy, between English occupations, royal sieges and post-war reconstruction of Religion.
