Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Romefort, located north of Saint-Georges-des-Coteaux in Charente-Maritime, was originally the seat of a vassal seigneury of the Barony of Saint-Sauvant, between Saintes and Cognac. By 1456, the Robert family owned it, with Claude or Naudon Robert paying tribute to this land. In 1492 Olivier Robert, squire and lord of Romefort, married Catherine de Châteauneuf and became bishop of Saintes. Their son René paid tribute to the chapter of Saintes in 1521 and 1522. The seigneury, disputed by the heirs of Jean de Beaumont, remained with the Roberts until 1551, when it was sold to Louis de Cherbys.

In 1602, the land of Romefort was exchanged at Arthus Lecomte, a powerful king's adviser, Baron de La Chaume and lord of several fiefs in Saintonge. Upon his death without heir, the castle was sold in 1621 to Jean Richard, bishop of Saintes. He then passed in 1642 to Marie de Baritauld, then to his son Martin de Constantin in 1655, marking the beginning of a period when Romefort became a property of Bordeaux notables, used as a secondary residence and land of relationship. John of Constantine, the last direct heir, died in 1737 without descendants, leaving the castle to his widow, then to his nephews, the brothers of Verthamon.

In the 19th century, after going through the Revolution without damage, the castle was sold in 1841 to Bernard Sarrazin, whose daughter Marguerite and her husband Émile Rouyer, an engineer and anti-Semitic activist, became its owners. Rouyer, known for his award-winning agricultural inventions, preserves the estate until the 20th century. In 2018, the Communauté d'agglomeration de Saintes acquired the castle with 40 hectares, before it was sold to an individual in 2022. The monument, partially classified since 1995 and 2002, is not visited.

The architecture of the castle includes a 15th century house body, remodeled in the 17th and 18th centuries, and a flamboyant Gothic chapel on porch, a rare and classified element. This chapel, once integrated with the now extinct north wing, recalls that of the passage Saint-Gilles to Pons. The house, covered with slate, and the commons form a rectangular courtyard, illustrating the evolution of a medieval seigneury in aristocratic residence, then in private property.

Historical sources also mention succession conflicts, such as those between the Roberts and the heirs of Jean de Beaumont, as well as strategic matrimonial alliances, such as Françoise Robert's marriage with Jehan de La Vallade. These elements underline the social and economic importance of Romefort under the Ancien Régime, where the castle served both as a symbol of power and a place of life for local noble families.

Finally, the castle of Romefort embodies the architectural and social transformations of the Saintonge, from a medieval fortress to a marina, then to a protected heritage property. Its history reflects regional dynamics, from seigneurial rivalries to economic changes linked to Bordeaux, while preserving tangible traces of its past, such as the chapel on porch, witness to the flamboyant Gothic in Charente-Maritime.

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