Jean-Paul Renoux, an agricultural engineer with a passion for the history of maritime Saintonge, was able to put his writing talents to good use when retirement gave him more freedom. First a writer for…
Jean-Paul Renoux, an agricultural engineer with a passion for the history of maritime Saintonge, was able to put his talents as a writer to good use when retirement gave him more freedom. Initially a writer for the magazine of the commune of Champagne, he met the associative publisher Le Passage des heures, who encouraged him to think bigger by publishing his historical stories.
This is how today, after the history of the church of La Gripperie-Saint-Symphorien, of Champagne, of Saint-Jean-d’Angle and a collection of images from yesteryear for the commune of Champagne, Jean-Paul Renoux presents his fifth work devoted to the true history of the castle of Saint-Jean-d’Angle.
Research and archaeology
It was in this building that, on Friday, June 28, the historian-author presented and signed his latest work in the company of the owners of the premises, André and Marie Rousselot, and many guests. “I relied on a lot of research and existing writings as well as on the local archaeology of the buildings that complete what we see today,” explains the author. “I conducted my book as an investigation, relying on a few hypotheses suggested by Frédéric Chasseboeuf, a leading historian who also wrote the preface to the book.”
This small castle from the beginning of the 14th centurye century was not built with a military spirit in mind, but more for an economic function. It was a pied-à-terre for the lords of the salt trade. It was only later, at the time of the Hundred Years’ War and the War of Religion, that the military function arrived. In the 17th centurye century, the cultivation of the land became more important and the castle was abandoned. Various owners then succeeded one another until the takeover and restoration of the place by Alain Rousselot, father of the current owner André Rousselot.
The castle has been listed as a historical monument since March 21, 1994 and now receives 35,000 visitors per year. It is among the most visited monuments in Charente-Maritime. The book also includes photographs taken by drone, giving a unique view of the place.
