Château de la Citardière

The Château de la Citardière is a fortified Renaissance château located in the commune of Mervent, in the Vendée department of the Pays de la Loire region in western France. It stands on the edge of the Forêt de Mervent, near the village of Vouvant and not far from Fontenay-le-Comte.

The estate is recorded as a fief with the right of low justice from 1396, when it appears in an aveu rendered to the sire of Parthenay, lord of Mervent and Vouvant. In the 16th and 17th centuries it was developed into a strongly fortified residence with the character of a small citadel. During the Wars of Religion it became an important Protestant stronghold and is said to have served as a base for Protestant cavalry. Contemporary descriptions (notably by Agrippa d’Aubigné) mention its very wide water-filled moats (around 19 metres), drawbridges, wall-walk (chemin de ronde) and defensive armament.

Architecturally the château consists of three wings of one or two storeys arranged around a rectangular courtyard, originally protected by a continuous parapet. Access is via a châtelet (gatehouse); vertical channels beside the portal still show where a drawbridge once fitted. Gargoyles in the form of cannon muzzles underline its martial character.

The château was classified as a Monument historique in 1989. Between 1983 and 1993 Nadine and Gérard Coutant carried out major restoration work on the west and east wings, the moats and the guardroom. In 2020 the property was acquired by Chantal and Pierre Chauvin-Dudit, who have continued extensive restoration (roofs, châtelet, east pavilion and other elements). The château is now a private residence that also hosts weddings, seminars and guest accommodation. Further works, including on the west pavilion, remain ongoing; the site was selected for the Loto du Patrimoine in 2024 to support the conservation effort.