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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Château de la Motte, located in La Motte-Fouquet in Orne, is a building whose origins date back to a 13th century medieval seigneury. The main body of the castle was built in the 17th century, reusing the remains of the 15th (a square tower) and 16th centuries (a turret). The commons, erected between 1670 and 1682, are the work of the father of the Gabriel brothers, architects from Argentan. The chapel, completed in 1699, replaced an oratory dating from 1582, illustrating the religious and architectural evolution of the estate.

The estate also included a mill whose activity was attested at the beginning of the 19th century: in 1809 it produced five quintals of flour (wheat, rye, barley, oats, buckwheat), and in 1888 only one of the three pairs of milles was still working, with a production increased to six quintals. An orangery, built in 1804, and a cider factory of the late 17th century (unprotected) complete the outbuildings. Together, partly classified as a Historic Monument since 1980, the site has been adapted to agricultural and residential needs over centuries.

The seigneury of La Motte-Fouquet, with rights of high and low justice, reflects the Norman feudal organization. The castle, with its defensive elements inherited from the 15th and 16th centuries, symbolizes the transition between medieval fortress and aristocratic residence. The transformations of the 17th and 19th centuries, such as the chapel or orangery, mark the influence of classical tastes and technical innovations, while preserving traces of earlier eras.

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