SAS Domaine de La Roche Courbon

A jewel nestled between two cliffs, the exceptional site of Roche Courbon stretches along a stream in the middle of a millennium. In 1475, after three centuries of English rule, Jehan de la Tour, Lord of Romette, began the construction of a new castle. This austere 15th-century fortress was transformed during the 17th century into an elegant residence by Jean-Louis de Courbon. With its vast salons, sculpted fireplaces, and majestic staircases, the scene was so harmonious that a Dutch painter, Jan Hackaert , immortalized it. This period marked the castle's golden age before parts of it disappeared in the 18th century, probably after a fire. By the end of the 19th century, the estate was in ruins: gardens were overgrown with mud, roofs were leaking, and the forest was threatened. It was then that Pierre Loti launched a passionate appeal in Le Figaro in 1908 to save this place. Paul Chénereau, an industrialist born in Échillais, responded to this call and bought the estate in 1920. He literally saved La Roche Courbon: restoration of the castle, creation of a theatre, reconstruction of the salons, rebirth of the gardens with the architect Ferdinand Duprat … An exemplary heritage adventure, continued today by the Sebert family.