Château de la Cantaudière

The Château de la Cantaudière is a late-16th-century residence located in Moutiers-les-Mauxfaits, in the Vendée department of the Pays de la Loire region in western France. It stands about two kilometres from the village centre on the road to Avrillé, in the canton of Mareuil-sur-Lay-Dissais.

Built in 1578 during the Wars of Religion, it was originally a small fortress with four towers, ramparts and a drawbridge. It was later modified: the ramparts and one tower were removed. Today the château consists of two main buildings forming an L-shape, surrounded by substantial water-filled moats. The Renaissance architecture has a somewhat austere character, but the three remaining corner towers and the elegant proportions of the residential block give the manor a distinctive charm. It is set in an attractive park.

The property passed through several hands. In 1615 it belonged to Maximilien de Béthune, Baron de Rosny and Duke of Sully, companion of Henri IV and then Governor of Poitou. On 13 July 1620 his son-in-law, the Duke Henri de Rohan, sold it to André Legeay (or Le Geay), Provost General of Poitou, who had earlier captured the bandit Guillery. Sold as national property in 1797, it was purchased in 1855 by Charles Duchaine; his descendants (or a private company linked to the family) still own it today.

The façades, roofs and the fireplace of the salon were classified as a Monument historique on 28 December 1978. The château is private and is normally open to the public only on the annual Heritage Days (Journées du Patrimoine).