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Origin and history

The fortified enclosure of Vouvant, located in the present department of Vendée (Pays de la Loire), is a medieval defensive complex dating mainly from the 1st quarter of the 13th century, with additions to the 15th century. It includes the remains of a castle (including the tower Melusine, emblematic dungeon) and an urban enclosure of 1.4 km, flanked by semi-cylinder towers and vaulted halls. The fortifications, up to 10 meters high, protected the castral village and included three access doors, of which only the door of the Poterno remains today. The Melusine tower, registered in 1927, and the rest of the enclosure (classified in 1984) demonstrate the strategic importance of the site.

The origins of Vouvant date back to the 11th century, when Theodelin, Abbé de Maillezais, founded a priory there for William the Great Aquitaine. The first defences, made of wood (château à motte), gave way to a stone castle under the lords of Lusignan in the 12th–13th century, marked by the construction of the Melusine tower. This round tower, sometimes wrongly dated from 1242, was used to control the northwest access to the rocky spur. The village, surrounded by about thirty towers, becomes a major stronghold.

In the 15th century, Arthur de Richemont (connétable de France) could have erected the enclosure of Château Neuf and had the house of the castle repaired by master mason Jean Vayron. A description of 1526 reveals a complex organization: the castle consisted of a drawbridge, a square entrance tower, two wells, and a poterne connecting the tower Melusine with Château Neuf. The current remains also include the Tower of the Guards, a semicircular base with vaulted room and archeres.

The best preserved north-east ramparts reach 10 metres high and house rooms accessible by level entrances. The Melusine Tower, on five levels, features dome vaults, chimneys, and latrines. These elements illustrate the evolution of military and residential techniques between the Middle Ages and the late Middle Ages, as well as the role of Vouvant as a strategic crossroads in Poitou-Vendée.

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