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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château des Ouches, located in Saint-Génard, is a former feudal mansion whose early construction dates back to the Romanesque period, as evidenced by the vaults of the ground floor. With four towers dating from the 14th or 15th century, it was modified under Henry II with the razing of niches and the addition of new frames. The left wing and the central gate, rebuilt in 1707 by architect Pierre Le Duc (the Tuscany), then adopted Mansard roofs and windows with simplified shafts. The outbuildings, built between 1709 and 1710 by Guy Ogeron (known as La Bonté), complete a complex surrounded by moats and a partially preserved enclosure, including a defensive tower converted into a dovecote in the 17th century.

Acquired in 1676 by Louis Froutier, the castle underwent extensive work between 1706 and 1709, including the reconstruction of the main body, the left wing and the sheds. In 1771-1778, an oven was added to the entrance courtyard, while in 1850 the right wing was rebuilt to the identical left wing, removing a medieval square dungeon. The chapel, probably built between 1850 and 1876, and the extension of the estate via national goods during the French Revolution marked its evolution. The site, still owned by a descendant of Louis Froutier, retains defensive elements such as moat and a north corner tower.

The oldest attested lord, Guillaume de Ménoc (mentioned in 1333), precedes an act of 1438 ordering the fortification of the place. The house was redesigned at the beginning of the seventeenth century before the major transformations of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Ranked a historical monument in 1980 for its facades, roofs and enclosures, the castle illustrates the architectural evolution of a medieval seigneury in aristocratic residence, mixing defensive heritage and stylistic adaptations (Dardian roofs, flat tiles, neogothic chapel).

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