Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Cramahé came into being in 1518, when the Duchess of Longueville erected the land as a fief for Pierre Chasteigner, Mayor of La Rochelle. This Protestant lineage retained the estate until the revocation of the edict of Nantes in 1685, when the last representative, Roc Chateigner, emigrated. The castle then passed into the hands of collaterals, then to Henriette-Céleste de Béjarry, married to Pierre-Louis Green de Saint-Marsault, before being ceded in 1739 to Jean-Baptiste Gayot de Mascrany, who had him rebuilt in 1753.

The old house, considered old, is replaced by a more modern home designed by entrepreneur Samuel Lemit. In 1764, the castle was passed on to the son of Gayot de Mascrany, then sold in 1807 to Michel-Augustin Garros. The estate, then vast (18 ha of vines, 40 ha of meadows, 32 ha of wood and 69 ha of ploughable land), changed hands again in 1811 and 1828, passing in particular to the Harouard families of Saint-Sornin and Larocque-Latour, whose arms still adorn the facade.

The entrance gate and its gate, witnesses to this turbulent history, are classified as historical monuments in 1925. The castle thus illustrates the architectural and social changes of the Protestant nobility in Aunis, between Renaissance and 19th century, marked by religious conflicts and family heritages.

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