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Origin and history

The Château de Versainville, located in the Calvados department in Normandy, is a house whose origins date back to the 15th century, but whose current structure was mainly built in the 18th century. The construction was launched in 1715 by François-Joseph de Marguerit, president of the Court of Accounts of Normandy, on land acquired by his family from the 16th century. King Louis XV stopped there in 1730, while work was under way. The castle, originally designed with an asymmetric housing body, was completed in 1912 by a western wing, rebalancing the architectural ensemble.

Marguerit's family, established in Normandy since the 16th century, raised Versainville to the rank of marquisat in 1731. The estate then passed by alliance to the Odoard du Hazey in 1802, then to the La Rochefoucauld in the 19th century. At the beginning of the 20th century, Count François-Gaston Odoard du Hazey and his wife modernized the castle, adding a south wing and rearranging the court of honour. The park, with its centuries-old trees and pond, was also embellished during this period.

In 1947, the castle became a holiday colony for the children of Ford employees, then Simca-Talbot and PSA, until the 1990s. It was bought in 2002 by Jacques de La Rochefoucauld, the grand-nevew of Bernard de La Rochefoucauld, the last direct heir. The castle, partially classified as a historical monument, retains remarkable elements such as its Chinese salon, its entrance hall and Cordoba leather decorations.

The castle park, registered since 1942 as a natural site, is also protected under remarkable gardens. The facades, roofs and summer salon were successively ranked between 2008 and 2017. Today, the estate combines architectural and natural heritage, testifying to centuries of Norman history.

The 18th-century farm door, along with various interior elements such as 19th-century painted ceilings, illustrate the artistic richness of the place. Despite the loss of some of its original interior decoration, the castle remains an emblematic example of the evolution of seigneurial residences in Normandy, from the Middle Ages to the contemporary era.

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