Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Saint-Germain-de-Livet occupies the site of an old 12th century fortress belonging to the Tyrel family, then transmitted by marriage to the Louvet in the 14th century. In 1462 Jeanne Louvet and Pierre de Tournebu inherited the estate and built a log house there, marking the beginning of its transformation. This couple, and then their descendants, including Jean de Tournebu and Marie de Crosmare in the 16th century, shaped the present building, combining medieval and Renaissance elements, such as the facade of green bricks and white stones (circa 1584).

The castle remained in the family of Tournebu until 1810, the date of the death of Marie-Pierre de Tournebu, last heiress. He then went to Foucault by donation, and was sold in 1879 to Mme Gobley. After several transmissions, Julien Pillaut, director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, became its owner in the 1920s. In 1957, his widow Augusta Pillaut left the castle and his furniture to the city of Lisieux. Since 2011, it has been managed by the Museum Centre of the city Lisieux Normandie, home to art and furnishing collections, including works by Léon Riesener and Rosalie Pillaut.

Ranked a Historic Monument in stages (1924, 1959, 2007), the castle has a dual structure: a 15th century half-timbered house and a Renaissance entrance castle, surrounded by moats and a garden. The pentagonal courtyard, bordered by an Italian gallery (1588), and the central medieval tower, housing a staircase, illustrate this stylistic superposition. The site also includes a farm, a mill and a preserved hydraulic system. Today a museum labeled Museum of France, he only visits with a guide, highlighting his history and artistic collections.

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