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Origin and history

The château de la Grève, also known as château de Saint-Martin-des-Noyers, is a fortified building located in Vendée, in the Pays-de-la-Loire region. Mentioned at the end of the 11th century, it belonged to the family of Chabot for more than three centuries. This strategic site, surrounded by moat and pond, played a key role in regional conflicts, especially during the Hundred Years War and the Wars of Religion.

The name "La Grève" comes from a Gallic (graua) term, evoking a "sandy shoreline". Formerly an independent parish (Sainte-Agathe-de-la-Grève), the village was absorbed in 1791 by Saint-Martin-des-Noyers. The castle, modernized in the 16th and 17th centuries, passed into the hands of Protestant families like the Chastillons, before being transformed into a farm from the 18th century.

During the Hundred Years War, Thibault X de Chabot, seigneur of the Strike, died at the Battle of Patay (1429). The castle, endowed with a right of high justice, was a military issue: taken by Catholics in 1589, then by Protestants in 1591 via its dried moat. In the 17th century, it lost its defensive role to become a residence, before falling into ruin. Ranked a historic monument in 1984, it was partially restored in the 1970s and opened to the public in 1997.

The architecture of the castle reflects its evolution: primitive dungeon (XIIth–XIIIth centuries), fortified house body (XIVth–XVth centuries) with 4 towers, and modernizations (XVIth–XVIIth centuries). The remains include moat, murderers, medieval chimneys, and a vaulted cellar. The site, now privately owned, attracts more than 7,000 visitors annually, offering a rare testimony of the Vendean castles.

In 2020, the castle changed ownership. Boris Racaud, the new owner, undertook progressive restorations to preserve this heritage, while developing its tourist attraction. The castle remains one of the few examples of a medieval fortress still standing in Vendée, near La Roche-sur-Yon.

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