Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de la Grande Chapelle, located in Champmillon in Charente, finds its origins in the 13th century, when the fief de la Chapelle is mentioned in an act of donation by Sieur Gaudrat to the Abbey of Saint-Cybard-lès-Angoulême. Until the 18th century, the owners of the estate, including the Faligon families (16th century) and then Maron (17th century), had to pay homage to this abbey. The Maron family, notably Jacques de La Croix Maron (1560–1620), seigneur of Segonzac, marked the local history by inventing the technique of double heating for the development of cognac.

The present castle, mainly built between 1715 and 1780, consists of two distinct parts: a seigneurial house to the south, flanked by two square towers and equipped with a terrace of 2,500 m2 accessible by a monumental staircase, and a wine farm to the north, organized around a square courtyard including stables, cellars and distillery. The facades, pierced in the 18th century and crowned with balustrades, open onto staged terraces leading to a vaulted fountain, whose pediment adorned with a candelabra symbolized the exemption from requisition for royal troops.

In the 19th century, changes were made, such as the construction of the honorary staircase, probably after the collapse of an old part. The estate changed hands several times, successively belonging to the families Marchais, Labrousse and Durand, before being acquired at the beginning of the 20th century by Jean Fougerat, pharmacist, inventor and winemaker. Ranked a historic monument in 1976 for its facades, roofs, interior staircases and decorative elements, the castle today embodies the wine and architectural heritage of the Charente.

The building thus combines traces of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, with a chestnut frame showing the oldest parts, and subsequent developments reflecting the evolution of usage, between seigneurial residence and wine-growing. Its inscription in the title of Historic Monuments protects its terraces, balustrades, and an 18th century stone fireplace, highlighting its heritage importance in the Cognac region.

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