Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Hellenvilliers, located in Grandvilliers in the department of Eure (Normandy), finds its origins in the 15th century. It was originally built by René de Mainnemares and his wife Renée Le Veneur, with a left wing intended to welcome Henri IV in 1590, shortly before the battle of Ivry. The building, marked by successive extensions, reflects the architectural evolutions of the sixteenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

The 15th century chapel, burned in 1792, was restored after this event. The wing in return for square was added by Gabriel de Clinchamp, while the right wing, built around 1700 by the Earl of Erard, completed the whole. The castle, surrounded by a park and a large wooded avenue, was listed as historical monuments in 1952 for its facades, roofs, chapel and outbuildings.

The castle has traversed centuries within noble families: the Mainnemares (XVth–XVIth centuries), the Clinchamps (XVIth–XVIIth centuries), then the Arards (from 1690), which kept it until the 20th century. Today it belongs to Yolande d'Estutt d'Assay and her husband, Pierre-Henri de La Porte du Theil, descendants of the historical owners. The property remains open to the public, perpetuating its heritage and cultural role.

The protected elements include not only the castle and its commons, but also the chapel and park, testifying to its historical and landscape importance. The exact location, 3.5 km from the church of Saint-Martin de Grandvilliers, highlights its territorial anchoring in the former town of Hellenvilliers, integrated since 1995 in Grandvilliers.

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