Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Pinterville, built between the 17th and 19th centuries, replaces a medieval mansion mentioned since 1204, destroyed since. This first manor house, close to the Eure, was given in 1248 by Saint Louis to William of Aubergenville, nephew of the bishop of Evreux, before being sold in 1260 to the Archbishop of Rouen, Eudes Rigaud. He then became an episcopal residence, welcoming in 1304 a Norman provincial council under Guillaume de Flavacourt, bringing together the bishops of Avranches, Evreux and Seez.

In 1695, Suzanne Le Page transmitted Pinterville to the family Le Pesant de Boisguilbert. The main body of the present castle, built of stone and brick, was erected in 1680 by Pierre Le Pesant de Boisguilbert, lieutenant-general at the bailliage of Rouen. In the 18th century, its descendants enlarged the estate with galleries, corner pavilions and wings, while in 1840 the central pavilion was enhanced. The castle is home to the writer Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre.

Acquired in 1878 by Albert Rostand, whose family retained it for a century, the castle also welcomed Edmond Rostand. A victim of looting in the late 1990s, he was saved by his current owners, who obtained his registration for historical monuments in 2015 and the Remarkable Garden label in 2017. A vast restoration of facades, roofs and structures is then undertaken, preserving this Norman heritage marked by seven centuries of history.

The park, built in the 19th century in a landscaped style, completes an estate whose interior distribution combines elements of the 18th century and decorations of the late 19th century. The building, which has been profoundly redesigned over the years, illustrates the architectural and social evolutions, from medieval archbishops to the noble and literary families that follow.

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