Château de Beaufief

The earliest reliable records of Beaufief date back to the reign of Henry III, with Jean d'Abillon, a former mayor of Saint-Jean-d'Angély, considered the first known lord of the estate. He expanded the property by purchasing parts of the neighboring castellany of Cluzeau. In 1680, financial difficulties led to the seizure of the estate, which passed into the possession of Charles-Louis Charrier before returning to the d'Abillon family through an overbid by François de Riveron. Through Charlotte de Riveron and later Charlotte de Collincourt, who inherited the property, Beaufief remained in family hands. In 1768, Charlotte de Collincourt sold the noble house to René-Joseph-Benoît Perraudeau, a lawyer from Saint-Jean-d'Angély. The Perraudeau family, who later extended their name to Perraudeau de Beaufief, owned the castle for about a century. After the childless death of Antonin-François-Auguste Perraudeau de Beaufief in 1896, the estate passed to his great-nephew Marie-Pierre-Henry Masson de La Sauzaye. His brother sold the castle in poor condition in 1922. At the end of the 20th century, the Château de Beaufief, threatened with decay, was acquired and extensively restored by Count Jehan Marie de la Tour de Geay and his wife, for which they received several awards. Facades, roofs, the wrought-iron staircase railing, a fireplace, wood paneling, and stucco work in the chapel were listed as historical monuments in 1973.

Château de Beaufief is situated in Mazeray, a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in the Poitou-Charentes region, France. It is located at an elevation of approximately 61 meters above sea level.

The Château de Beaufief is privately owned and not accessible to visitors. However, the estate has been extensively restored, and its facades, roofs, and various interior fittings are protected as historical monuments.

• Château de Panloy (Castle), approx. 14.2 km away
• Château de Crazannes (Castle), approx. 14.4 km away
• Château de la Roche-Courbon (Castle), approx. 20.6 km away
• Roman Arch of Germanicus (Ancient Structures), approx. 21.0 km away