Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de La Taillée, located in Echiré (9 km from Niort), is a private property classified as historical monuments. Built at the beginning of the seventeenth century in a Henri IV / Louis XIII style, it is distinguished by its architectural unit, erected in one phase. Three dates engraved in the stone – 1636 on the north facade, 1639 on the porch, and 1642 on the dovecote – testify to its progressive construction over a few years. The castle was commanded by Joshua du Fay, a member of the Fay de La Taillée family, whose arms still adorn the northern facade.

The monument is linked to notable matrimonial alliances: Louis du Fay, the son of Joshua, married Elizabeth Martel de Vandré, niece of Eléonore Desmier d'Olbreuse, nicknamed "the grandmother of Europe" because of her royal progeny. Later, Georges-Guillaume du Fay married Françoise du Vergier de La Rochejaquelein, whose mother, Elizabeth de Caumont d'Adde, was the great-granddaughter of the poet Agrippa d'Aubigné. These unions illustrate the aristocratic anchor of the castle.

During the Revolution, the Fay de La Taillée emigrated, and the castle, confiscated as a national property, did not find a tenant. Recaptured by the family upon his return, he was transmitted until today to their direct descendants. The monument is listed as historical monuments in two phases: in 1969 for its facades and roofs, and in 1987 for its communes. Its architecture and family history make it a rare testimony of the poitevin nobility of the seventeenth century.

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