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Origin and history

The castle of Ars, located in the commune of Ars in Charente (Nouvelle-Aquitaine), finds its origins in a medieval seigneury. The family of Bremond d'Ars became its owner in the 14th century by the marriage of Jeanne d'Ars with Guillaume de Bremond in 1340. The present castle, built between the second half of the 16th and the 18th century, replaces a first medieval building of which there remains only the castral motte. Its architecture combines a Renaissance wing and an extension of the 17th century, with scallops, moats and a monumental door decorated with sculptures.

In 1651, during the Fronde, Jean-Louis de Brémond d'Ars (1606–52) defended Cognac against the troops of the Duke of La Rochefoucauld, while his wife, Guillemette de Verdelin, protected the castle. She also dug a canal to dry out the surrounding marshes. The estate remained in the family until the end of the 19th century, welcoming personalities such as François I, Louise de Savoie, or Jean-Jacques Rousseau, invited by the Marquise de Verdelin. Major restorations in the 20th century, notably by Raymond Thomas in the 1960s, saved the castle from abandonment.

The building is distinguished by its squared plan, its rounded pediments, and its interiors preserving carved wooden chimneys, a screw staircase, and a medieval structure. The outbuildings include an old cognac cellar, a witness of local wine-growing activity. Ranked Historic Monument in 1988 for its facade and a carved fireplace, the castle illustrates the architectural and social evolution of the Charente nobility, between territorial defense and court life.

Sources also mention the disappearance of elements such as a chapel (attested in 1654) and a dovecote, as well as the remains of a food store potentially dating back to the 11th century. The restorations of the 1960s–70s partially altered the structure, with the destruction of two pavilions and the construction of a new one. The site, surrounded by moat and accessible by a bridge, remains a notable example of the seigneurial and military heritage of the region.

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