Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de La Taillée, located in Echiré (Deux-Sèvres), is a private property classified as historical monuments, built in the early seventeenth century in an architectural style combining Henry IV and Louis XIII. Built of cut stone between 1636 and 1642, it bears the engraved dates of 1636 (north side), 1639 (midday peg) and 1642 (west peg). This castle, commanded by the Protestant family of the Fay de La Taillée, embodies the architectural and family heritage of this noble lineage.

The building of the castle was attributed to Joshua of the Fay, who married Préjente de Magné in 1629. Their coat of arms adorn the north facade. The estate, including commons and two fortified dovecotes, was conceived as a coherent and defensive set, with a turret-shaped brace covering the entrance. These elements, such as the stone roofs of the pigeons and their lanterns, remained intact, illustrating the exceptional preservation of the site.

During the Revolution, the Du Fay de La Taillée, having emigrated, saw their castle put on sale as a national good, but for lack of buyer, it was returned to them upon their return. Passed from their descendants, the castle was inscribed to historical monuments in two stages: in 1969 for its facades and roofs, then in 1987 for its communes, porch and dovecotes. His history is also linked to prestigious marriage alliances, such as that of Georges-Guillaume du Fay with Françoise du Vergier de La Rochejaquelein, descendant of the poet Agrippa d'Aubigné.

The architecture of the castle reflects the influences of its time, with defensive elements (ground floor of the pigeons built for defense) and aesthetics (triangular-pedestrian windows, stone domes). The original composition, including the courtyard closed by the commons, remained unchanged, offering a rare testimony of the art of building in the seventeenth century in Poitou-Charentes.

External links