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Origin and history

Chabenet Castle, located north of the village of Chabenet on the left bank of the Creuse, was built under Louis XI by Josselin du Bois, lord of Montmorillon, between 1460 and 1471. It was completed in 1471 with ditches of 15.50 meters wide and 14 towers. This medieval castle, typical of 15th century defensive architecture, becomes a symbol of local power.

In 1544, Jean du Bois, grandson of Josselin, was sentenced to death for kidnapping and took refuge with Aubert de Montjohan, who took advantage of it to acquire the castle. In 1585 he passed into the hands of the Protestant family of Pierre-Buffière, Barons of Prunget and Tendu, and remained a Protestant property until 1735. During the Wars of Religion, it was partially dismantled by Richelieu in 1635.

During the Revolution, the castle was not sold as a good emigré, but its occupants, Louis Vincent and Marie Charlotte, were imprisoned. Marie-Louise Martha, sister of Marie Charlotte, lived there until 1794 under surveillance. In 1802, the estate was divided between the heiress sisters and sold in 1809 to Thomas-Louis-Benjamin of Poix, who passed it on to his son in 1814.

In the 19th century, Count Louis-Thomas Benjamin de Poix, mayor of Saint-Marcel and administrator of the Paris-Orléans railway, restored the castle on the advice of Eugene Viollet-le-Duc in 1850. When he died in 1878, he left the estate to his niece Josephine de Boisé, the last heiress of a vast territory of 2,077 hectares including forests, farms and other castles.

In 1924, upon the death of Josephine de Boisé, the castle was passed on to its adoptive heirs, the Marquis of Nicolai and Armaillé, initiating a lawsuit for succession. Joined historic monuments in 1927, he changed hands several times in the 20th century: bought by a Parisian charcutier, then by Louis Willème in 1940, hiding works from the Louvre during the war.

In the 1980s, Philippe Marec restored the castle to a cultural centre, but the 1991 crisis stopped the project. Today, it belongs to the Swiss group Hapimag, which operates a hotel there and organizes events. Its park of several hectares, its natural terraces and its rich history make it an emblematic place of Berrichon heritage.

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