Renovation of the chestnut 1500-1530 (≈ 1515)
Transformation of doors and windows with shafts.
XVIIe siècle
Construction of the entrance gate
Construction of the entrance gate XVIIe siècle (≈ 1750)
Added in cut stone.
1932
Registration Historic Monument
Registration Historic Monument 1932 (≈ 1932)
Protection of remains by arrest.
1983
National Prize for Masterpieces
National Prize for Masterpieces 1983 (≈ 1983)
Rewards for its heritage value.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Château de La Chapelle-Bellouin (rests): inscription by order of 11 May 1932
Key figures
Information non disponible - No character cited
Sources do not mention any historical actors.
Origin and history
The Château de la Chapelle Bellouin, located in La Roche-Rigault in the department of Vienna (New Aquitaine), is an emblematic 16th century building. It consists of a long house body adorned with sill windows, Corinthian pilasters and a roof animated by elegant skylights. A central stone staircase and an old châtelet remodelled between 1500 and 1530, with vaults and traces of a double drawbridge, testify to its architectural evolution between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
The estate also includes a 17th century stone entrance gate, leading to a first courtyard where stands a poterne with vaults decorated with monograms. On the left, a 16th century residential building borders the ruins of a castle in a second courtyard. Privately owned in renovation, the castle was registered with the Historic Monuments in 1932 and was awarded the National Prize of Ruined Masters in 1983, highlighting its heritage importance.
The building illustrates the transition between medieval defense and seigneurial residence, with elements such as the wide sill windows gradually replacing defensive systems. The grooves of the drawbridge and the carved caissons of the poterne recall its fortified past, while the skylights and corinthian capitals reflect the influence of the French Renaissance. Today, its restoration aims to preserve this hybrid heritage, witness to five centuries of local history.
Available sources (Wikipedia, Monumentum, Mérimée base) confirm its address at 2 Rue des Treilles and its Insee code (86079), attached to the former Poitou-Charentes region. Although closed to the public, the site remains a remarkable example of civil and military architecture of the first modernity in New Aquitaine.
