The Château De La Mothe-Chandeniers In France
Guillaume Souvant/AFP/Getty ImagesThe 13th-century Château de la Mothe-Chandeniers has survived a hostile British takeover, the French Revolution, a fire, and time.
As far as old castles go, Château de la Mothe-Chandeniers has it all — including a giant moat that surrounds it, which serves as a striking reminder of the exclusionary nature of these abandoned palaces.
The castle was built in Les Trois-Moutiers in Poitou-Charentes, a former administrative region on the west coast of France, in the 13th century by the Bauçay family. The family members were nobles with close ties to the throne and reported directly to the French king himself.
The Château, which was colloquially called Motte Bauçay or Baussay, weathered centuries of political turmoil. It was taken over twice by the English during the Middle Ages and later pillaged during the French Revolution.
Finally, in 1809, the dilapidated castle was bought by François Hennecart, a wealthy French businessman who restored the building to its former glory and developed a splendid vineyard on its grounds. The Château de la Mothe-Chandeniers was passed on to Hennecart’s descendants until it was inherited by Baron Edgard Lejeune.
The baron occupied the castle and revamped its architecture in the Romantic style influenced by Art Nouveau, priming his estate for the frequent extravagant parties he would throw.
Unfortunately, much of it was destroyed during a fire that ravaged the estate in 1932. The damage was estimated to be around several million francs and the property continued to fall into disrepair as its maintenance became simply too costly for any individual to bear.
But in 2017, an unprecedented crowdsourcing campaign was launched by locals and the historical preservation company Dartagnans to save it.
The campaign raised more than 500,000 euros — or nearly $600,000 — and is now owned by the 7,400 individuals who donated to the cause.
