CHÂTEAU DE VILLAINES

Built in the first half of the 17th century on the ruins of a medieval castle, the Château de Villaines has not undergone any significant alterations or additions since then. Spared during the Revolution, it changed its name during the Empire to that of its new owner, the Marquis d’Aux, who had purchased it in 1776 from the last representative of the Gaignon family, who had owned the Villaines estate for four centuries. At the end of the 19th century, the Château d’Aux reverted to the Château de Villaines following a further sale to the Count of Gramedo. At the end of the First World War, the US Army established a training centre for military chaplains at Villaines. Several hundred chaplains underwent training there before heading to the front lines.