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Château de Fleurac à Nersac en Charente

Patrimoine classé
Patrimoine défensif
Demeure seigneuriale
Château de style Renaissance
Charente

Château de Fleurac

    Château de Fleurac
    16440 Nersac
Château de Fleurac
Château de Fleurac
Château de Fleurac
Château de Fleurac
Château de Fleurac
Château de Fleurac
Château de Fleurac
Château de Fleurac
Château de Fleurac
Château de Fleurac
Château de Fleurac
Château de Fleurac
Château de Fleurac
Crédit photo : rosier - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1300
1400
1500
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
XIIIe siècle (vers 1250)
Construction of the medieval strong house
1562 et 1568
Seats and looting during the Wars of Religion
1612
Reconstruction by Léon Baudouin
8 juillet 1988
Classification to Historical Monuments
1998
Acquisition by the Mahy family
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Facades and roofs; moat and terraces with their balustrades; The stone staircase with balusters. Inside; the large living room adorned with gypseries at the east end of the castle (Box AH 16): inscription by order of 8 July 1988

Key figures

Léon Baudouin - Lord of Fleurac (early 17th century) Reconstructs the castle after the wars.
Jean-Louis Guiton du Tranchard - Acquirer in 1695 Nobleness of bell, mayor of Angoulême.
Comte de La Laurencie - Owner in the 19th century Weapons in the staircase window.
Michel-Alexandre et Bénédicte Mahy - Owners since 1998 Restoration and current visits.

Origin and history

The Château de Fleurac, located in Nersac in Charente, finds its origins in a 13th century medieval fortress built by local knights. The site, never fragmented on the south shore of the Charente, suggests a unified property from the 11th century, linked to an influential character. The remains of this era include the lower foundations and a defensive ditch never flooded. The present Renaissance-style castle is the result of a major reconstruction after the religious wars (16th century), which had seriously damaged it.

In the 17th century, Léon Baudouin, heir to the family owner since the 15th century, undertook a complete reconstruction in the Henri IV style: central house body, side pavilions, mâchicoulis slots and balustrade terraces. These elements, inspired by Charentais castles like Bourdeilles, are now classified as Historical Monuments (1988). The castle then passed into the hands of noble families, including the Baudouin until 1695, then the Guiton du Tranchard, before falling into ruins in the 18th century.

In the 19th century, the Count of La Laurencie acquired Fleurac and placed his weapons in a stained glass window on the Renaissance staircase. The castle, sold in 1940 to Gnome and Rhône, was bought in 1946 by Valmy Chainier. Since 1998, the Mahy family has been restoring it, with a project underway to obtain the label "Remarkable Garden". The building preserves traces of each era: Gothic mouldings (XVth–XVIth), Louis XV lounge, and moat dug in the rock.

The architecture of Fleurac illustrates the evolution of Charentais noble houses, moving from a medieval fortress to a Renaissance marina, then to a classical castle. The terraces offer an exceptional view of the Charente valley, while the defensive elements (fossed, mâchicoulis) recall its military origin. Historical sources, including departmental archives and notarial acts, accurately document its genealogy and transformations.

The wars of Religion (1562, 1568) marked a turning point: the castle, besieged and looted by the Protestant troops of Condé and Coligny, required almost complete reconstruction. The Baudouin, then the La Laurencie, add decorative elements (gypseries, balusters) reflecting the tastes of the 17th and 18th centuries. Today, Fleurac combines architectural heritage and family history, as evidenced by the legend " Fleurac, all our youth", engraved on a death image of the twentieth century.

External links