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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Bouverie Manor House, located in Mardilly, Orne, replaces at the beginning of the seventeenth century an old stronghold belonging to the Rupierre family, established in the region since the thirteenth century. Martin de Rupierre, lord of Mardilly and supporter of the League, began his construction between 1590 and 1604, inspired by the great houses encountered during his journeys. The house body, completed under Henry IV, is distinguished by its four corbelling turrets, its facades rhythmised by pink bricks and ochre sandstone stones ("russier"), as well as by triangular pediments. Despite an important dowry of his wife Catherine de Hudebert, Rupierre had to alienate part of his land to finance the works, before selling the mansion in 1622 to Marquis Périer, squire.

At the time of the Revolution, the manor house — then called Château de Mardilly — was confiscated as a national property and sold in 1793 as a Bouverie manor house, after being attached to a nearby farm. Admitted to François Brière, pastor of the Astelles, for 158,000 pounds, he then passed into the hands of several families (Fressonnel, Rault, Godet) before being saved from the ruin in the 20th century. In 1918 Joseph Michel Pottier acquired 41,000 francs; his brother René and his sister-in-law Marie Grandin restored the house, unoccupied since 1877. The Dangelzer family, owner from 1973, carried out important works, notably on the roofs, before the mansion was bought in 2019 by a new owner, who partially reopened the site to the public.

Architecturally, the mansion illustrates the cannons of the early 17th century: perfect symmetry, straight lintel windows and shovel light, main door with interrupted pediment, and full slate pierced with skylights. The back façade, sober and facing towards the Touques valley, preserves remains of moat, while an inner well recalls its defensive origin. The estate formerly included outbuildings (grange, wash, bakery), some of which disappeared. Ranked a historic monument in 1968 for its facades and roofs, the mansion now combines seigneurial heritage with Norman rural history.

The Rupierre family, linked to the mansion for centuries, embodies the turbulences of local history: diverging commitments during the Hundred Years War, support for the Catholic League, and alliances with Norman nobility (such as the Hudeberts or the Périers). After the Revolution, the mansion lost its aristocratic status to become a farm, before successive restorations restored its prestige. Its present name, La Bouverie, comes from the farm to which it was attached in 1793, marking its passage from a symbol of power to a preserved rural heritage.

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