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Origin and history

Le logis du Maine blanc is a medieval tower located in Angoulême, in the district of Saint-Martin, Charente. Built in the late 16th or early 17th century, it is the only vestige of an ancient fortified estate. The tower, made of cut stone, probably served as a watchtower for a house that is now gone. It is characterized by defensive architecture, with assommoirs and a corbelled staircase turret, covered with a hemispherical stone cap.

In 1772, the estate was acquired by Emmanuel Sazerac, king's adviser and alderman of Angoulême, after having belonged to Jean Élie Duboys de la Bernarde. The Sazerac family, a local notable, also owns the Valette fief, close to the White Maine. In the 19th century, in 1863, the estate was transformed into an agricultural orphanage for boys by Mr.Leclerc-Chauvin and his wife, Angoumois philanthropists. This establishment, which occupies all buildings, is still active today as the Departmental Children's Centre.

The tower was listed as historical monuments on March 4, 1925 for its architectural and historical interest. It is distinguished by its defensive elements, such as the scalds and assommoirs, as well as its rectangular roof. The eastern facade, pierced with triangular front windows, overlooks a garden. The double staircase, accessible by a corridor on the ground floor, serves the three floors of the tower, each consisting of a single room.

The monument illustrates the evolution of a seigneurial site as a charitable institution, while preserving traces of its defensive past. Its architecture, mixing stone and stone roofs, reflects the constructive techniques of the 16th and 17th centuries in Angoumois. Today, the tower is integrated into a set dedicated to childhood, perpetuating a social vocation initiated in the 19th century.

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