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Origin and history

The castle of Marçay, located in Chouppes (Vienna, Nouvelle-Aquitaine), is a monument dating back to the 11th century in the form of a fief. The first attested buildings date from the 12th century, with a chapel and cemetery still partially visible today. In the 15th century, the site is described as a feudal manor surrounded by walls, moats and towers, maintaining a defensive character despite Renaissance changes. The buildings, organized around two cours girdles of moat, presented a typical architecture: ground floor, two floors and attic with triangular or circular skylights.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the castle and its commons were profoundly transformed, adopting classical elements such as fronton windows and turrets in corbelled pepper roofs. The communes, now almost disappeared, had a north pavilion still partially standing. The chapel, on the other hand, remains intact, while the cemetery has completely disappeared. The site, gradually abandoned in the 20th century, is now in ruins.

Ranked a Historic Monument in 1925, the castle (with its commons) and the chapel (with its cemetery) are protected by decree. The private property illustrates the architectural evolution of a seigneurial estate, moving from a medieval fortress to a pleasant residence, before its modern decline. Today's vestiges bear witness to constructive techniques and aristocratic lifestyles over nearly seven centuries.

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