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All French heritage classified by regions, departments and cities

  2. Patrimoine
  3. Nouvelle-Aquitaine
  4. Charente
  5. 16170 Saint-Amant-de-Nouère

  6. Castle of Fontguyon

 Castle of Fontguyon à Saint-Amant-de-Nouère en Charente

Patrimoine classé
Patrimoine défensif
Demeure seigneuriale
Château
Charente

Castle of Fontguyon

    Château de Fontguyon 
    16170 Saint-Amant-de-Nouère
Château de Fontguyon
Château de Fontguyon
Château de Fontguyon
Château de Fontguyon
Château de Fontguyon
Crédit photo : Rosier - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
vers 1570
Construction of the castle
XVIIe siècle
Major renovations
8 septembre 1989
Registration MH
2 septembre 1994
Stairs classification
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Façades and roofs of the house with its three wings, including the chapel; facades and roofs of the building closing the courtyard to the west; plot D 287 on which are located the terrace and garden with their architectural elements, including the horseshoe staircase south of the house and the balustrade fences (cad. D 287, 288) : entry by order of 18 September 1989; Staircase in Renaissance vis, with its cage, located at the southeast corner of the house, on courtyard (Box D 288) : classification by decree of 2 September 1994

Key figures

Guillaume de La Porte - Marshal Provost Owner, duchy of Angoulême.
Élie Laisné - Mayor of Angoulême (1585) Powerful owner of the castle.
Antoine Gandillaud - Mayor of Angoulême (1623) Gendre d'Élie Laisné, owner.
Gabriel I Gandillaud - Lieutenant-General State councillor, heir to the castle.
François et Pierre Poitevin de Fontguyon - Directors of Royal Smelters Owners (1784-1790).

Origin and history

The castle of Fontguyon was built around 1570 on the site of an ancient Gallo-Roman villa, then Carolingian named Mayne de Negronde, attested as early as 911. This U-shaped house, typical of the Renaissance, integrates defensive elements such as a scallop and a pilaster gate, while its chapel and a staircase with a view date from this period. The site was thoroughly redesigned in the 17th century, with the addition of a terrace and a horse-drawn staircase, reflecting the evolution of architectural tastes.

The castle changed several times from influential owners: Guillaume de La Porte, provost of the Marshals of Angoulême, then Elie Laisné, mayor of Angoulême in 1585, followed by Antoine Gandillaud (mary in 1623) and his son Gabriel, lieutenant-general and state councillor. In the 18th century he passed to the Poitevin brothers of Fontguyon, directors of the royal foundries from 1784 to 1790. These families marked local history by their political and economic functions, linked to the management of the Duchy of Angoulême and industry.

Partially classified since 1994 for its Renaissance staircase and inscribed in 1989 for its facades, roofs and exterior fittings (terrace, balustrades), the castle illustrates the transition between medieval defensive architecture and the residential comfort of the modern era. The chapel, though vaulted in the 19th century, preserves Renaissance features, while the commons in U frame a court of honor, typical of the seigneurial houses of the region.

Today, privately owned, the Fontguyon Castle bears witness to both the Gallo-Roman heritage of the site, the architectural transformations of the 16th and 17th centuries, and the role of local elites in the history of Angoulême and the Charente. Its inscription in the Historic Monuments underscores its heritage value, mixing defensive, religious and residential elements.

External links

Page Wikipedia
Page Monumentum