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Origin and history

The Château de la Durbellière is located in the commune of Saint-Aubin-de-Baubigné, associated with Mauléon, in the Deux-Sèvres department. Built in the 15th century, it was redesigned in the 17th and 18th centuries before being passed on to the family of the Vergier de la Rochejaquelin. This castle is inseparable from Henri de La Rochejaquelin, a Salesian general born in 1772 on these lands, whose engagement during the Vendée wars (1793-1794) led to five devastating fires, reducing it today to the state of ruins.

The remains of the castle, including moat, commons, dovepole and fence walls, were classified as a historical monument in 1996, after partial inscriptions in 1927 and 1993. The site, marked by today's condemned undergrounds and a legend linking them to the local church, has been owned by Mauléon municipality since 2023. A model, exhibited in the town hall of Saint-Aubin-de-Baubigné, allows to visualize its original appearance.

Led by the Association The Durbelière, the castle retains a melancholic beauty despite its state. Repeated fires and natural degradation have erased much of its architecture, but its history, linked to the vendean resistance and the local nobility, makes it a major heritage symbol. The moat and commons, although weakened, still bear witness to its prestigious past.

The estate also includes a pond and protected landscape elements, reflecting the strategic and residential importance of the site in medieval and modern times. The transfer of the site to the commune in 2023 marks a new stage in its preservation, with the aim of valuing this emblematic heritage of Deux-Sèvres and Nouvelle-Aquitaine.

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