Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de la Mercerie, located in the commune of Magnac-lès-Gardes (Charente), is an emblematic monument of the 4th quarter of the 19th and 20th centuries. Originally, it belonged to the Rousseau family, anobliated in 1595, before being acquired in 1924 by the brothers Rethoré, Raymond and Alphonse. The latter, inspired by Italian Renaissance architecture, undertook to enlarge the castle to make it a 'Charentais Versailles', an ambitious but unfinished project, arrested in 1970 for lack of funds.

The construction of the Italian Renaissance façade, 220 metres long, began in 1947 with about twenty workers. The Rethoré brothers, passionate about art, enriched the castle with exceptional collections: furniture, paintings, sculptures, and even pieces from Count Orlov. Raymond Rethoré, an industrialist and Gaullist MP, invited political and foreign figures to visit this monumental site.

After the brothers died The castle was approved in 1983 and 1986 and was sold in 1988 to Bernard Baruch Steinitz, who had little access to it. In 2002, a restoration project was launched by Isabel Guérin to host collections of contemporary art. Since 2013, the castle is partially open to the public, managed by the municipality of Magnac-Lavalette-Villars and a voluntary association.

The estate covers 600 hectares, including a 50 hectare arboretum with rare species and a rose garden. The gardens, equipped with 30,000 m3 of displaced land, complete this site classified Historic Monument in 2012. The castle, although private, is visited in summer, and the recipes contribute to its preservation.

The architecture of the castle combines two styles: a neo-Gothic part dating from the late 19th century, and an Italian Renaissance facade added to the 20th century. The façade, inspired by the castle of Bizy in Vernon, was originally intended to replace the old house entirely, but this project was never completed.

The collections of the Rethoné brothers, sold at auction in 1987, included works of art, marbles, woodwork and chandeliers from their journeys. Their library, given to the city of Angoulême, contained 2,068 volumes, including rare works on architecture. Today, the castle remains a testimony to their disproportionate ambition and passion for art.

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