Château de la Brunière

The Château de la Brunière is a Renaissance château located in the commune of Le Givre, in the Vendée department of the Pays de la Loire region in western France (historically part of Bas-Poitou).

It originated during the troubled period of the Hundred Years’ War and was largely rebuilt in 1591 by Jean Bodin (sometimes referred to as René Bodin, a Huguenot lord), who gave it its Renaissance character and made it a more residential and hospitable residence. King Henri IV is said to have rested there. The château originally formed a quadrilateral with a tower at each corner and is particularly noted for its twelve monumental granite fireplaces that still adorn the interior.

In 1621 (or around 1620) it was invaded and sacked by royal Catholic troops; two wings of the building and one tower were destroyed. During the Wars of the Vendée the château was occupied by Republican forces (“the Blues”); local Vendéen fighters attempted unsuccessfully to retake it in 1794 and 1795.

The estate was formerly owned by the family de Veillechèze de La Mardière and today belongs to their descendants, Dr Thierry Gorphe and his sister, the Baronne de Vauchaussade de Chaumont (née Christine Gorphe). It remains a private property, occasionally open during the European Heritage Days.

The façades and roofs of the main building (corps de logis), together with several of the major fireplaces, were classified as a Monument historique on 8 October 1984. The façades and roofs of the outbuildings wing and the bridge over the moat were inscribed on the same date.