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Château de la Flocellière à La Flocellière en Vendée

Patrimoine classé
Patrimoine défensif
Demeure seigneuriale
Château fort
Vendée

Château de la Flocellière

    30 Rue du Château
    85700 La Flocellière
Château de la Flocellière
Château de la Flocellière
Crédit photo : Spouik - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Moyen Âge central
Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1100
1200
1300
1400
1500
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
XIe siècle
Origins of the seigneury
XIIIe siècle
Expansion of the castle
1597
Sitting during the Wars of Religion
1794
Destruction during the Vendée war
1879-1881
Neo-Renaissance Restoration
1965 et 2001
Historical Monuments
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

The parts in ruins (Case C 212): inscription by order of 16 June 1965 - All the facades and roofs of buildings restored in the 19th century (see AE 4): inscription by decree of 12 December 2001

Key figures

David - Founding Lord (11th century) First lord mentioned in 1090.
Jacques Ier de Surgères-La Flocellière - Lord (14th century) Combat at Poitiers in 1346.
Jacques de Maillé - Marquis (17th century) Renovations and marriage with Elizabeth Hamilton.
Urbain de Maillé - Heir (17th century) Transmitted the Flocellière in 1697.
Baron Alquier - Owner (19th century) Sponsor of neo-Renaissance restoration.
Arsène Charrier - Architect (11th century) Author of the works of 1879-1881.

Origin and history

The Château de la Flocellière, located in the commune of the same name in Vendée, has its origins in the 11th century. The first written traces date from 1090, mentioning David, lord of the place and probable founder of the fief. This castle, directly under the king, was enlarged in the 13th and 14th centuries, notably with the addition of a circular dungeon. The seigneury passed into the hands of influential families like the Surgers, then the Hamon from 1516, before being transmitted to the Maillé-Brézé by marriage in 1567.

During the Wars of Religion, the castle was besieged in 1597 by the troops of the Catholic League, who seized a rich spoil. In the 17th century, Jacques de Maillé, Marquis de la Flocellière, undertook important works and founded a convent of Carmelites nearby. The castle was partially destroyed in 1794 by the infernal columns during the Vendée War, leaving only the dungeon standing. In the 19th century, Baron Alquier had it restored in a neo-Renaissance style by architect Arsène Charrier, adding a neo-Gothic gallery linking medieval remains to the new house body.

Today's architecture juxtaposes the ruins of the medieval castle, characterized by a pentagonal plan and four cylindrical towers, and a 19th century castle. The 13th century dungeon, the only element spared by revolutionary destruction, remains a major testimony of its defensive past. The site, partially classified as Monument Historique, illustrates the architectural transformations and political upheavals that marked the Vendée from the Middle Ages to the contemporary era.

Among the notable anecdotes, the castle housed in the 20th century a bed attributed to the Regent Philip of Orleans, and served as a seminary for late vocations around 1970. Its history also reflects the strategic alliances of noble families, such as the abduction and marriage of Jacques de Maillé with Elizabeth Hamilton, a Scottish woman from the court of Louis XIII, in 1616.

The protections under the title of the Historical Monuments concern medieval ruins (registered in 1965) and 19th century facades (registered in 2001). The castle, today private, preserves remarkable elements such as sculpted coats of arms on the facade and partially preserved interiors, evoked in twentieth century publications.

External links