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Origin and history

The Château de l'Échasserie, located in La Bruffière (Vendée), finds its origins in an 11th century wooden dungeon, erected as a defensive outpost at the limits of the steps of Brittany, Anjou and Poitou. Its name, of Gallo-Roman origin ("the roadway"), evokes its position along a Roman road linking Tiffauges to Saint-Georges-de-Montaigu. In the 11th century, it was rebuilt in stone to resist Norman invasions. The Sauvage family of Cugand became its owner in 1235, before Guillaume Sauvage gave way to the Templiers de Clisson. In 1250 the Charbonneau family, allied with the Poitevin nobility, settled there for almost five centuries, until 1738.

During the Revolution, the castle was at the heart of local violence. Charles André Augustin Marie Servanteau de l'Échasserie, Mayor of La Bruffière and former King's light horse, was executed on 13 March 1793 by antirevolutionaries for his double game between Blues and Whites. In October 1793, General Kléber set fire to the castle and part of the village during a punitive expedition. Only one tower remains. The estate passed in 1806 to Louis Richard de la Vergne, whose son, François Richard de La Vergne (future archbishop of Paris), inherited. The transmission continues through the women of the family, to the present owners, of the Rosel de Saint-Germain.

The current architecture combines medieval remains and postrevolutionary reconstructions. The irregular five-sided polygon, flanked by round and square towers, is lined with water moats. The 19th century seigneurial house, built with ancient stones, houses a 15th century fireplace. The chapel, destroyed during the Revolution, was rebuilt in the 19th century, while the stables and courtine dates from the same period. Since 1971, three towers (carree, watch and Chandelier) have been classified as additional historical monuments.

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