Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Saint-Loup-sur-Thouet came into being in the 11th century with the construction of a first building by Drogon, the first known lord of the place. In the 13th century, the Dercé family erected the square tower, a four-storey dungeon housing an Archives room for the Barony of Saint-Loup and Bressuire. This dungeon hosts historical figures such as King John II the Good, prisoner after the Battle of Poitiers (1356), and the Black Prince. The medieval structure, partially preserved, includes a guard corps, a pavilion and a house, while the ramparts are replaced by walls.

At the beginning of the 17th century, Claude Gouffier, Count of Caravaz and inspired by the Marquis de Carabas de Perrault, built the present "H"-shaped castle, typical of the late Henry IV style. The dates of 1609 (solar dial) and 1626 (campanile) mark this period. The plan pays tribute to Henry IV, with a central house body framed by symmetrical wings. The estate then passed into the hands of general farmers (Lepage, Boyer de la Boissière, Haran de Borda) in the 18th century, which enriched with French gardens, orangery, and luxurious furniture, reaching its peak around 1750.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, the castle changed its owners several times, including the families of Abbadie d'Ithorrotz and Mausabré-Beufvier. Damaged during the German occupation (1939-1945), it was restored from 1955 by Robert de Mausabré and his sister Gilberte, who replaced it with old pieces. In 1987, the estate was acquired by Jean-Jacques Debout and Chantal Goya, then by Count Charles-Henri de Bartillat in 1990. The latter restored the gardens (according to a plan of 1745), the dovecote, and orangery, opening the castle to the public in 1998.

Ranked a Historical Monument in 1947 (castle, moat, park) and then in 1993 (all of the estate), Saint-Loup-sur-Thouet illustrates the architectural evolution of the Poitevin castles, from medieval dungeon to Louis XIII style. Its gardens, reconstituted according to Renaissance plans, include an ornamental vegetable garden, tree alignments and an orchard of ancient varieties. The site has inspired other castles, such as Rigny (Deux-Sèvres) or Davrincourt (Pas-de-Calais), copied in 1928.

The orangery, a mixture of the 15th and 18th centuries, and the dovecote are among the classified outbuildings, alongside a farm called "housekeeping" and a cooler. The park, lined with moat fed by the Thouet, is organized around central axes linking the castle to promontory woods. The castle tapestries and paintings were protected by the state in 1989 after an attempt to sell to a Japanese group. Today private property, the castle is partially visited, with gardens accessible in season.

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