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Origin and history

The Pervinquière hotel is a neo-classical mansion built between 1775 and 1780 in Fontenay-le-Comte, in the current Vendée department. Sponsored by Jacques Charlot de la Vergne and his wife Jeanneau, it is characterized by a symmetrical three-level facade, a central balustrade balcony, and third-floor allegories decorated with garlands of oak leaves. The garden, originally associated with the property, completes this representative set of provincial aristocratic urbanism of the end of the Old Regime.

The house owes its name to the marriage, in 1797, of Jean-Hilaire Charlot (son of the sponsors) with Isabelle-Julie de Pervinquière. Sold in 1810 for 29,629 francs to the Théronneau and Givry families, the hotel is then divided into two properties, a partition still visible today. The eastern part (n°47) retains its original state, while the western part (n°45) undergoes changes, including the addition of a staircase in the 19th century.

In the 20th century, n°45 was transformed into a hotel for travellers ("Rouet d'Argent", 1924–34), with interior renovations (rebuilt staircase, restored fireplace, painted decors). During the Second World War, the building served as headquarters for German officers, including Generals Stülpnagel and Von Rundstedt. Rached by Mayor Marceau Bretaud after 1945, he is now divided between private housing and housing. Ranked a historic monument in 1987, it bears witness to the social and architectural history of Fontenay-le-Comte.

Protected elements include facades, roofs, and a wrought iron staircase. Archives of the fief de Saint-Michel-le-Cloucq, linked to the property, could refine the precise dating of its construction. The hotel thus illustrates the changes of an aristocratic heritage, passed from the hands of local notables to civilian and military uses, before its contemporary preservation.

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