Château du Fougeroux

The Château du Fougeroux is a historic château located in the commune of La Chapelle-Thémer, in the Vendée department of the Pays de la Loire region in western France (in the canton of La Châtaigneraie).

It originated as a seigneurial manor dating from the 16th century (around 1577). The building was extensively remodelled or rebuilt in the second half of the 18th century. It was damaged by fire during the French Revolution and reconstructed between 1802 and 1811; the outbuildings were rebuilt in 1844.

In the 19th century the château belonged to the Grelier du Fougeroux family (Alexandre Grelier du Fougeroux, then his heir Ernest) and later, through marriage, to the artist and aquafortist (etcher) Octave de Rochebrune. Rochebrune created the First Empire-style decoration of the main salon (grand salon) around 1805; this interior remains one of the most notable features of the house.

The protected elements — the façades and roofs of the main logis, of the returning wing and of the tower, the grand salon with its decoration, and the neo-Renaissance pump pavilion — were inscribed as a Monument historique on 3 February 1999. The château is private property; only the exteriors are normally accessible to visitors.