Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Vauvineux Manor House, located 1 km northwest of Pervanchaeus in Orne, is a 14th and 16th century building, built in 1478 by Lorin de Cissé on the ruins of an ancient Carrel castle. This strategic site was part of the defences of the Mortagne-Bellême border, evolving from a medieval stronghold to a Renaissance mansion after the Hundred Years' War. The current remains include a house flanked by an octagonal tower, while subsequent changes, such as the removal of a third floor in the 19th century, altered its original appearance.

In the 17th century, the mansion passed into the hands of Rohan's family, before being transformed into a farm during the Revolution, during which time its 16th century chapel was converted into a barn. Vauvineux County, associated with the estate, had several fiefs and seigneuries, including Montgaudry and Saint-Quentin Pervanche. A seigneurial dispute later brought between the Pottin and Gaston de Pollier families around the title of Count, the first keeping him illegitimately after his sale.

Partially listed as historical monuments in 1974, the mansion retains remarkable elements such as a large fireplace decorated with an angel with lily blossoms, wood-paned partitions, and traces of missing wings. Its present state reflects both its past prestige and the transformations undergone over the centuries, from its defensive function to its agricultural use.

Official protections cover facades, roofs, monumental fireplace and old chapel. Despite the alterations of the 19th century, the site remains an architectural testimony of the transitions between the Middle Ages and the modern era in Normandy, mixing military and residential heritage.

External links