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All French heritage classified by regions, departments and cities

  2. Patrimoine
  3. Nouvelle-Aquitaine
  4. Charente-Maritime
  5. 17240 Saint-Genis-de-Saintonge

  6. Castle of Plassac

 Castle of Plassac à Plassac en Charente-Maritime

Patrimoine classé
Patrimoine défensif
Demeure seigneuriale
Château de style Classique
Charente-Maritime

Castle of Plassac

    Château de Plassac
    17240 Saint-Genis-de-Saintonge
Château de Plassac
Château de Plassac
Château de Plassac
Château de Plassac
Château de Plassac
Château de Plassac
Château de Plassac
Château de Plassac
Crédit photo : Jack ma - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1300
1400
1500
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
1340
First trial for possession
vers 1555
Reconstruction of the castle
1633
Exile of the Duke of Epernon
1769
Partial destruction and reconstruction
1940
Occupation by Rommel
2003-2008
Historic Monument Protections
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

The facades and roofs, the ditches with escarp, counterscarp and balustrade, and the courtyard of the house, as well as the floor of the plot (Box Plassac A 467); the interior rooms of the house called vestibule, large staircase and its cage, Italian room, chapel and blue living room above the vestibule (Box Plassac A 467); facades and roofs of outbuildings (commons, old entrance châtelet, old barn and farm buildings) (Box Plassac A 466, 471); the access aisle, the courtyard with its balustrades, its gates and grills, the vegetable garden with its wall of enclosure, and the park with its aisles, plantations and pool, as well as the ground of the plots (cad. Plassac A 468 to 470, 495, 1126, 1127; Saint-Genis-de-Saintonge B 706); the wall covering the park and the cultivated land with its gates and corner towers (see Box Plassac A 468-470, 495; Saint-Genis-de-Saintonge B 703 to 705, 707, 874 to 876): registration by order of 6 November 2003 - The castle in its entirety, as well as its outbuildings (commons, former entrance châtelet, old barn, farm buildings, balustrade, walls, doors and grills), the fence wall surrounding the park with its doors, grids and corner towers, as well as the lapidary or factory elements of the park (cad. Plassac A 466 to 471, 495, 1126; Saint-Genis-de-Saintonge B 703 to 705, 707, 874 to 876): by order of 9 June 2008 - The courtyard of the communes and the plots of cultivated land of the park located inside the fence wall (Box Plassac A 471; Saint-Genis-de-Saintonge B 703 to 705, 707, 874 to 876): registration by order of 9 June 2008

Key figures

Guillaume de Flotte - Medieval Lord In conflict for possession in 1340.
Jean-Louis Nogaret de La Valette, duc d'Épernon - Owner and reconstructor Rebuilt the castle around 1555, enlarged to the seventeenth.
Charles de Malvin, marquis de Montazet - Reconstruction coordinator Partially demolished the castle in 1769.
Christophe Macaire - Suspected architect Probable author of 18th century plans.
Erwin Rommel - German Marshal He installed his headquarters there in 1940.
Marie-Caroline de Bourbon-Siciles, duchesse de Berry - Historical figure linked Cited in a shooting in Plassac (2020).

Origin and history

The Château de Plassac, located in the communes of Plassac and Saint-Genis-de-Saintonge in Charente-Maritime, has its origins in the 13th century. A first castle fort, attested as early as 1340, was the subject of a dispute between Guillaume de Flotte and Pons de Mortagne. Confiscated by the crown, it was attributed to Renaud IV, Sire de Pons, before passing into the hands of Jean-Louis Nogaret de La Valette, Duke of Épernon, who rebuilt it around 1555. After 1633 the Duke lived there after his excommunication, and the castle was enlarged before being abandoned until 1755.

From 1769, Charles de Malvin, Marquis de Montazet, undertook the partial demolition of the medieval castle to build a new building, preserving only the foundations and ditches. The plans, attributed to architect Christophe Macaire, marked a stylistic break. In the 19th century, the family of Dampierre changed the esplanade and added outbuildings, while in 1940, Marshal Rommel installed his headquarters there during World War II.

The present 18th century castle is characterized by a central pavilion with broken attices framed by two wings with triangular pediments. Medieval remains include the pilgrim's door, a flamboyant entrance chestnut, and ditches. The park, surrounded by walls and round towers, as well as the interiors (vestibulum, staircase, chapel) bear witness to its rich past. Ranked historic monument in 2003 and 2008, it was also the frame of a filming of Secrets d'Histoire in 2020, dedicated to the Duchess of Berry.

Legal protections cover facades, ditches, outbuildings, the park and its factories. The architecture reflects the successive transformations, from the medieval fortress to the classical castle, including the 19th century. The site, still privately owned, combines military history, aristocratic architecture and remarkable landscapes.

The castle was also a strategic place during the Second World War, home to Rommel's staff in 1940. This period adds a modern historical dimension to a monument already marked by medieval conflicts and Renaissance fascists. Today, its architectural path and its protections make it a major testimony of the Charentais-Maritime heritage.

External links

Page Wikipedia
Page Monumentum