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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

Janville Castle is a Renaissance-style building built around 1610 by Jean Louvel, king's secretary-counsellor and anoblied in 1576. Located in Paluel, Seine-Maritime, it was built on land acquired from the Abbey of Fécamp and remained in the Louvel progeny until the end of the 19th century. The estate was marked by figures such as Louis-François-Pierre Louvel de Janville, Mayor of Caen and President of the Calvados General Council, known for his agricultural contributions and his marriage to Marie-Pierre de Tournebu.

At the end of the 19th century, the castle passed into the hands of Sybille Gabrielle Riquetti de Mirabeau, Countess Martel de Janville and author under the pseudonym Gyp, before being acquired in 1890 by the Baron of Sancy de Rolland. During the Second World War, he served successively as German Kommandantur and then as headquarters for the 89th American Infantry Division. The dovecote, dated 1781, and the classical wings added around 1895 complete the original architecture.

The castle, a private property not open to the public, has been partly listed as historical monuments since 1975 for its facades, roofs, large living room and decor, as well as the dovecote. Its park, accessible under conditions, houses ancillary buildings and a brick entrance pavilion. The ensemble illustrates the architectural and historical evolution of a noble Norman residence, from the wars of Religion to the contemporary era.

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