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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Château de Villeneuve-la-Comtesse, located south of the eponymous village in Charente-Maritime, has its origins in the 14th century. His history was linked to the Lusignan family, then to the Brienne family, before going under English domination in 1360 during the Bretigny Treaty. The site was then rebuilt by Christin Chamber, captain of Charles VII's guard, after his return to the crown of France around 1420. The latter, whose family franced his name in "de la Chambre", undertook major work to give the castle its present appearance.

During the Hundred Years' War, the castle was a strategic issue, moving from French to English before being restored under Charles VII. The family of the House, then by alliance the La Laurencie, became its owners until the 19th century. They added a Renaissance home in the 16th century, later destroyed by fire. The castle also served as a garrison against the Huguenot assaults in the 16th and 17th centuries, resisting valiantly as in 1621, where its defenders refused to surrender.

At the Revolution, the castle was sold as a national property before being bought by the La Laurencie family, which kept it until 1843. In the 19th century, it was transformed into a wine-growing farm, and was affected by phylloxera in 1875. In the 20th century, successive restorations (1936, 1968) preserved its ramparts, drawbridge and enclosure walls. In 2022, he received EUR 300 000 in support of the Heritage Lotto to consolidate its ramparts.

Architecturally, the castle is distinguished by its land-full of 48x58 meters, surrounded by 15 meters wide ditches. The entrance chestnut, initially 28 metres high, dominates the north facade, flanked by two towers at the southern angles. The enclosure, probably dating from the 14th century, includes courtesins of 10 meters high. The site, which was listed as a historical monument in 1949, also preserves a 17th century dovecote, a symbol of the right of high seigneurial justice.

The noble families associated with the castle, such as the Lusignans, the Briennes, the Chamber and the Laurencie, marked its history by their military or religious commitment. Among them, Charles-Eutrope de La Laurencie, bishop of Nantes in the 18th century, refused the Napoleonic Concordat and sent him to England. A plaque in the local church commemorates his memory. Today, the castle remains a testimony of medieval struggles and architectural transformations throughout the centuries.

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