The Château de la Roche-Faton, located in Lhoumois (Deux-Sèvres) in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, is an elegant castle listed as a Historic Monument, dating from the medieval period and enriched during the Renaissance.
🏰 History & Architecture
Mentioned as early as 1179, burned down in 1417, it was rebuilt starting in 1544 by Mathurin Pidoux. It comprises three buildings around a courtyard, round towers, a gatehouse with drawbridges (now lost), and outbuildings built in the 17th century.
The fortified entrance is flanked by machicolations, while the central building includes a 15th-16th-century main building, crowned by an authentic spiral staircase.
🖼️ Interiors & Decor
Several intact fireplaces from the 15th and 18th centuries, as well as a large living room decorated with 18th-century stucco. The Saint-Nicolas Chapel contains the tombstones of Charles-Marie-Auguste de Beaumont, Marquis d'Autichamp, and his wife.
🌳 Gardens & Park
An English-style landscaped park and French gardens – designed in the 17th century by the Lords of Vassé – surround the château.
A pond from the former moat also remains.
🛡️ Protection & Visits
Listed as a Historic Monument: facades and roofs of the main building registered in 1973, wings of the outbuildings in 1993.
A private property belonging to the du Dresnay family, the château is open for guided tours of the exterior and for events such as European Heritage Days.