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Origin and history

The château d'Arnouville is a seigneurial residence built at the end of the 16th century on the town of Ermenouville, in the Seine-Maritime department in Normandy. It replaces a former mansion located at the other end of the village. Its first known owner, Nicolas Allais, counselor of King Henry III, ordered its construction. The architectural style mixes sandstone decorated with mosaics for the south facade and subsequent additions in bricks and stones.

In the 17th century, the castle passed by alliance to the Dupuis d'Arnouville families, then to the Clercy, which kept it until the 19th century. A fire in the 18th century damaged the north facade, rebuilt by the Clercys and equipped with turrets at the beginning of the 20th century. Under the Restoration, lateral wings are added, changing its appearance. The estate also includes outbuildings like an old chapel turned into fruit tree, stables, and commons.

The castle, a private property not open to the public, has been partially listed as historical monuments since 1981. Protected elements include facades, roofs (excluding modern parts), the entrance gate with its gates, as well as various related buildings such as the press or garden pavilions. In the 20th century, it was successively owned by Count Odon de Malartic – alderman of the vice-president of the Senate Geoffroy de Montalembert (1962) – and then by the family of La Rochefoucauld, the current owner.

The building illustrates the architectural evolution of noble residences in Normandy, combining Renaissance elements (south side in sandstone) with classical and neo-medieval transformations (towers of the 20th century). Its history also reflects marriage alliances and heritage transmissions among the French aristocracy, from the Ancien Régime to the contemporary era.

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