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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Castle of the Mothe in Vicq is a medieval domain whose origins date back to the 12th century, but its current structure dates mainly from the late 15th century. It was built between 1450 and 1500 by Louis d'Arçon de Chauvigny, the chamberlain of the Duke of Bourbon, on the bases of an ancient wooden castral motto. This plain castle, bordered by the Veauce River, illustrates the transition between medieval fortifications and the seigneurial residences of the Renaissance.

Originally, the site housed a castral mound with a wooden tower, ditches and palisades, mentioned as early as 1242. Vicq's family, then the Arçon family, gradually transformed the estate. Bertrand d'Arçon initiated the stone reconstruction around 1449, while his descendant Louis d'Arçon completed the work around 1500, adding a chapel and a family tomb to the local church.

In the 17th century, the castle passed to the Montrognon de Salvert family, which brought comfort to it in the 18th century. François de Montrognon, squire of Marie-Antoinette, married a daughter of the inventor Jacques Vaucanson. The French Revolution partially spared the castle thanks to the ingenuity of its owner, Antoinette de La Chaussée, but the entrance chestnut was partially destroyed.

In the 19th century, the lack of maintenance severely degraded the monument, until it was purchased in 1919 by architect Louis Imbert, who undertook his restoration. Open to the public at the end of the 20th century with historical reconstructions, the castle was privatized in 2022 and is no longer accessible to visitors. However, it retains remarkable elements such as an 18th-century wooden gallery and ditches fed by a natural spring.

The manor house, classified as a historic monument in 1945, consists of a vaulted ground floor house, a staircase and outbuildings around a courtyard. Its architecture blends medieval traces (fossed, entrance tower) with classical additions (woodwork), testifying to its evolution throughout the centuries.

The protection of the castle in 1945 preserved this Bourbon heritage, although its current use as a private place now limits its accessibility. Historical sources, such as the works of Max Boirot (1929), document his role in local history and his links with the court of the Dukes of Bourbon.

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