Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Sainte-Marie, located in Agneaus in the Manche, is an ancient fortified house dating back to the 13th century, which was thoroughly renovated in the 15th and 16th centuries. It stands on a wooded hill, 800 meters northwest of the village, overlooking the valley of the Vire. The Agneaux fief, under the barony of Saint-Lô, was a noble estate linked to the bishopric of Coutances. The first written mentions evoked Herbert d'Agneaux in the 11th century, a lord whose family bore "d-azur to three lambs bleating silver" as coat of arms. The present castle preserves the remains of the 15th and 16th centuries, as well as a chapel transformed into a reformed temple and a travertine farm dated the 17th century.

In the 15th century, the fief passed into the hands of the Esquay family: Reignier d'Esquay gave way to his son Richard d'Esquay (died 1460), whose daughter Girette married Raoul de Sainte-Marie. The latter, who died in 1496, transmitted the estate to his son Jean de Sainte-Marie, allied with the nobility close to Louis XI. The Sainte-Marie lineage marked the history of the castle for two centuries: Nicolas de Sainte-Marie (died 1591), knight of the king and captain of Valognes, then his son Jacques, governor of Granville under Henry IV and Louis XIII. The fief remained in this family until the 18th century, with figures such as Jean-Jacques-René de Sainte-Marie, marquis and king's page in 1720.

The destructions of the late eighteenth century altered part of the castle, but the elements of the 15th and 16th centuries remained, alongside the farm classified in 1946 and the facades inscribed in 1974. The chapel, temporarily converted to Protestantism in the 16th century, bears witness to the religious disturbances of the period. Today, the estate houses guest rooms and a restaurant, perpetuating its welcoming role while preserving a heritage linked to Norman aristocracy and conflicts between Catholics and Reformed.

External links