Château de la Mercerie - Journées Européennes du Patrimoine

As you approach the Château de la Mercerie, you'll be amazed by its impressive 220-metre façade. Called the "Little Versailles of the Charentes", it is the fruit of the boundless imagination of brothers Alphonse and Raymond Réthoré. This incomplete attempted construction of Versailles in Charente, impressive project of the Réthoré brothers is located about 20 km away from Angoulême. The castle stands next to a manor house from the 19th century. Its large and intricate façade, 220 meters wide and 15 meters high is visible from quite a long distance. Raymond and Alphonse Réthoré settled into the Château de La Mercerie in 1924 in the small manor located at the extreme left of the frontage of the current building. In the Thirties, the two brothers unterdook the enlarging of the castle. From 1930 to 1970, the construction of the building and the accumulation of treasures, such as painting of Italian Masters, marbles, woodworks and sculptures, became the main occupations of the two brothers. The collections are scattered during auction sales in June 1987. The neoclassical arches and Doric columns are attached onto the manor house in pure Versailles style. Get off the beaten track for a while and take time to visit these sumptuous rooms, mahogany floors, frescoed ceilings and respendent garden. The castle's belvedere allows you to admire it from a height. In the castle park, the rose garden and the arboretum can be visited. The entrance to the site is at the reception farm, at the back of the car park. No reservation for individual visits or small groups of less than 20 people, reservation only for groups of more than 20 people. Closed on Saturdays, except for group visits.