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Origin and history

The manor house called La Vieille Fontenclose, also known as Maison de Charette, is a historic monument located in the commune of La Garnache, in Vendée (Pays de la Loire). Built during the 4th quarter of the 17th century, it represents an example of manorial architecture typical of this period, although its precise origins and its first occupants remain poorly documented in the available sources.

The building has been listed as a Historic Monument since 5 December 1975, a protection that specifically covers its facades and roofs. Private property, it is not accessible to the public, which limits the information available on its detailed history or possible subsequent transformations. His name, associated with Charette's family, evokes a possible link with this vendean line, although the source text does not specify the exact nature of this connection.

The location of the manor house, reported with satisfactory accuracy (level 7/10), is indicated at 5125 Fontenclose, 85710 La Garnache. This type of residence, characteristic of the Salesian countryside of the 17th and 18th centuries, often served as a residence for noble or bourgeois local families, playing a central role in the social and economic organization of the rural territories of the time.

The available data, mainly from the Merimée database and Monumentum, do not provide any information on the specific historical uses of the manor house, its possible alterations or its integration into regional events. The absence of detailed sources thus limits the reconstruction of its past to architectural generalities and its present status as a protected monument.

The Vendée, where La Garnache is located, was at this time a region marked by a rural economy dominated by agriculture and livestock, with a society structured around seigneuries and parishes. Manor houses such as La Vieille Fontenlose were used as a local power, serving as both a place of residence, land management and, sometimes, a refuge in times of unrest.

With the latest update of information dating back to August 2022, it is possible that further research or private archives may provide additional details on this monument, its history and its occupants. For the time being, its heritage interest lies mainly in its architecture and registration as a Historic Monument.

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