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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The châtelet manor house, also known as the châtelet farm, is a 17th-century residence located in Sassy, Calvados, Normandy. Built in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, it retains a fortress look, with elements such as a dovecote and a monumental gate protected from 1932. This site blends ruins and remains of an aristocratic past, marked by its defensive architecture and sculpted decorations today partially disappeared.

The mansion was built for Vauquelin de La Fresnaye († 1607) and his son Vauquelin des Yveteaux († 1649), two renowned writers. Their coat of arms, once visible on the gate and a monumental chimney (reported in 1887), was staked, partially erasing their trace. The carved weapons and decorative elements, however, bear witness to their social status and cultural influence in the region.

Ranked as historic monuments in 1932, the site includes protected elements such as the dovecote, the entrance door, adjacent walls and pavilions. Although partially in ruins, the mansion illustrates the evolution of seigneurial houses in Normandy, between agricultural function (farm) and architectural prestige. Today private property, its access and current use (visits, rentals) are not specified in the available sources.

The exact location of the mansion, southwest of the village of Sassy (9 Rue de la Varende), is documented in the Merimée base. Its state of conservation, assessed as "satisfactory" (note 8/10), makes it a notable example of Normandy's rural heritage, although threatened by time erosion and the lack of complete restoration.

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