Passage of Louis de Froutté 1795 (≈ 1795)
Welcome of the royalist leader by Mrs. Doynel.
XVIIIe siècle
Construction of the castle
Construction of the castle XVIIIe siècle (≈ 1850)
Initial construction period.
3 mai 1974
First protection
First protection 3 mai 1974 (≈ 1974)
Registration façades and roofs.
15 octobre 2002
Extended protection
Extended protection 15 octobre 2002 (≈ 2002)
Interior decorations and registered gardens.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Fronts and roofs (Box H 24): inscription by decree of 3 May 1974 - The entrance hall, living room, dining room, north bedroom and boudoir, with their decors; facades and roofs of the chapel, stables, small pavilion and orangery; the court of honor, the moat with the bridge, the gate; the dove of the farm, in full; the access aisle, including the northwest side aisle; the vegetable garden with its fence walls; the garden with its walls (cad. H 5-8, 18, 19, 23, 24, 28): registration by order of 15 October 2002
Key figures
Louis de Frotté - Royalist leader
Welcomed to the castle in 1795.
Mme Doynel - Owner of the castle
Host of Louis de Froutté.
Origin and history
Torchamp Castle is an 18th-century building located in the commune of Torchamp, in the department of Orne, Normandy. It is 1.2 km south of the village, surrounded by a set of buildings organized around a courtyard of honour. The main house, between courtyard and garden, has retained its original interior decoration as well as its spatial distribution. Symmetrically arranged on both sides of the courtyard, the chapel and stables complete this coherent architectural ensemble.
The estate also includes a courtyard with its original buildings, a French garden on the terrace, an orange shop and a vegetable garden. These elements, as well as facades, roofs, moat and dove, are protected as historical monuments. A first inscription, dated 3 May 1974, concerns facades and roofs, while a decree of 15 October 2002 extends this protection to all interior decorations, outbuildings and gardens.
The castle was linked to a notable historical episode: on 29 September 1795 Louis de Froutté, head of the Catholic and Royal Army of Normandy, was greeted by Mrs. Doynel, then owner of the site. The latter, on a tour of inspection, spends the night with his detachment. This event illustrates the sometimes discreet but active role of Norman castles during revolutionary unrest.
The architecture of the castle reflects the canons of the eighteenth century, with rational organization of spaces and harmonious integration of landscape elements. The successive protections testify to the desire to preserve this representative example of Normandy's aristocratic heritage, both for its building and for its exterior.
