The Hoops Castle: a French landmark with a checkered past

The Château de Saint-Jean-d'Angle, located in the town of Saint-Jean-d'Angle in Charente-Maritime, France, is a castle fort built in the style known as Shell keep. It is classified as a monument historique and has received the Grand Prix des Vieilles maisons françaises and the Prix Europa Nostra for the quality of its restoration. The chateau takes its name from the town where it is located.The lands surrounding the chateau were mentionned in the early 12th century, with Foucher de Saint-Jean-d'Angle.

In 1310, Johan Rémont, knight, lived there. In 1406, the domain was brought as a dowry by Yolande Bouchard to her husband Charles de Saint-Gelais, and it remained in the Saint-Gelais family for six generations.In the 17th century, Charlotte de Saint-Gelais-Lusignan, who claimed descent from Josselin de Lusignan who took the name of Saint-Gelais in the 12th century, brought the château to her husband Guy-Philippe de Salins de La Fin. She repaired and expanded the logis and other buildings in 1624.At her death in 1652, the domain passed to co-lords, including Jacques Dupuy de Tournon.

His daughter Louise de Pontevès sold the château for 56,000 livres in 1729 to Pierre de Verthamon. Jean-Baptiste de Verthamon sold the château for 127,000 livres in 1739 to Jean-Jacques Isle de Ballode, the last lord of Saint-Jean-d'Angle.The château passed to Louis-Henry Isle de Beaucheine in 1818 and later to various other families such as Herbout, de Lestrange, Latreuille, Fougère, Lacour, and Rousselot.Alain Rousselot began a significant restoration of the buildings, and the château has been classified as a monument historique since 1994.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons