Photo : Loki90 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Château de Saint-Jean-d'Angle
In the 11th century a feudal motte with a wooden tower stood on the site of Saint-Jean-d'Angle, in the Charente-Maritime. Rebuilt in stone by Guillaume de Lusignan and Denise d'Angle around 1180, the castle is a remarkable example of medieval military architecture. On the east shore of the former Gulf of Saintonge, it helped defend 6,000 hectares of salt marshes that brought in considerable revenue.
Until 1750 it stayed with the Lusignan and then Saint-Gelais de Lusignan families, colourful figures said to be protected by the fairy Melusine. It then fell into oblivion. When it was listed in 1994, it was a ruin overrun by ivy, trees and brambles, with cracked ramparts and a roofless residence without floors, doors or windows. Bought at the end of 1994, it was completely restored by its owner Alain Rousselot, who in 2002 received the grand prize of the Vieilles Maisons Françaises and a Europa Nostra award for the quality of this faithful restoration.
