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Origin and history

The Château de Villiers-sur-Port, located in Port-en-Bessin-Huppain in Calvados, is an ancient stronghold probably dating back to the 12th century, although the oldest preserved parts date back to the 13th and 16th centuries. Built for the Villiers family, a powerful Bessin lineage, it was a major civil building in the area. The site, surrounded by moat, initially included a square dungeon now extinct, as well as a 13th century chapel transformed into a stable around 1850. Successive changes, especially in the 18th and 19th centuries, altered its defensive aspect to make it an agricultural farm.

In the Middle Ages, the castle played a strategic role, as evidenced by its capture by the English in 1417 during the Hundred Years' War. Raoul de Couvert, one of his defenders, had to deliver his son as a hostage to King Henry V of England. Villiers' family kept the fief for four centuries before yielding it to the Hericy, who kept it until the 19th century. The current remains include a 16th century seigneurial house, a cylindrical tower pierced with murderers, and agricultural buildings dating back to some of the 12th century, as evidenced by their gates and bolts.

The architecture of the castle combines defensive elements (douves, missing drawbridge, murderous) and residential elements (renaissance logis, buttress chapel). The noble court, distinct from the agricultural courtyard, illustrates this duality. Ranked a historic monument in 1927, the site preserves traces of its medieval past despite subsequent transformations. Sources, such as the works of Arcisse de Caumont, underline its heritage importance in Bessin, although some information, such as the existence of the dungeon, is based on oral traditions.

The transformation into a farm, probably in the 18th century, marked a turning point in the history of the castle. The buildings were adapted to the agricultural needs: the chapel became a stable, and the moat was partially filled in the 19th century. Despite these modifications, the site remains a rare testimony of Norman manor houses, combining seigneurial and economic functions. Today, its state reflects these historical strata, from medieval foundations to modern additions.

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