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Origin and history

The château des Chassenon, located in Xanton-Chassenon in Vendée, finds its origins in the 13th century with Thibaud Chabot, the first known lord, who married Aënor de Brosse, heiress of the local lands. The estate then passes to the Volvire and Boutou families by marriage alliances. Although the present castle dates mainly from the sixteenth century, its present appearance is the result of a reconstruction initiated in the 1780s by Antoine Anthisme Walsh, lord of Chassenon and knight of Saint-Louis, near an old building still existing.

At the time of the French Revolution, the castle was suspected of sheltering the Count of Artois, triggering a unsuccessful expedition. In 1807, Walsh's widow and daughters gave the estate to Jean-Joachim Möller, Danish consul at Nantes before the Revolution. His son, Ignace Möller, first mayor of Xanton-Chassenon in 1828, and then his grandson Ernest Möller, undertook restoration work and enlarged the estate in the 19th century, acquiring several nearby farms.

In 1898, the castle passed by inheritance to Alfred Querqui, who revived it again. The Renaissance fountain of the park, a remarkable element, was listed as a historic monument in 1956. The estate changed hands again in 1942, inherited by Jean Sioc'han from Kersabiec, a cousin of the Querqui. These successive transformations reflect the architectural and social evolution of the site, mixing medieval heritages, reconstructions of the Enlightenment and beautifications of the 19th century.

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