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Origin and history

The Château de Cellettes, located in the commune of the same name in Charente (Nouveau-Aquitaine), has its origins in the 16th century. His first certified lord, Bertrand de Celette, was followed by Josias de Celette, who in 1589 received the priory of Cellettes and Villognon from Henri de Navarre. The latter had part of the house built, while the east wing, dated 1772, was attributed to Jean Gaston, Viscount du Lau, colonel to the regiment of Saintonge. The monument, combining Renaissance architecture and classical additions, thus reflects the evolution of tastes and seigneurial functions over two centuries.

The history of the castle is marked by influential family alliances. In 1611, Henri René du Lau, son of Josias, married Henriette de Pons, lady of Champniers, thus uniting noble lines of the Périgord and Saintonge. These strategic marriages reinforce the prestige of the estate, whose outbuildings (commons, chapel called the Temple, fence walls) still structure today the whole inscribed in the Historical Monuments since 2004.

On the architectural plane, the old house is distinguished by a tower of polygonal staircase decorated with a decoration of the late sixteenth century, while the part of 1772 has five bays of windows and skylights. Inside, walls painted with military scenes, inspired by the 18th century textbooks, recall the career of Jean Gaston du Lau. The chapel, joined to the primitive home, and the terraces supported by stone walls underline the integration of the castle into its landscape, between plateau and valley.

The estate, which has been completely protected (building and floors) since 2004, illustrates the transition from Renaissance to modern times. The medieval latrines still visible, the entrance gate and the commons surrounding the courtyard testify to its residential and defensive use. Although the sources evoke an approximate location (5140 Rue du Château), its state of conservation and its interior decorations make it a remarkable example of the Charentais Castral heritage, linked to local military and religious history.

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