In Charente, the little Versailles Charente, a stone utopia more alive than ever

A wild dream of the Réthoré brothers, the Château de la Mercerie is a stone giant that has emerged from its torpor after 15 years of restoration. At the crossroads of art and heritage

The Château de la Mercerie, in Magnac-Lavalette-Villars, holds a European record in the Guinness Book of Records. It has the longest facade in Europe ever built in the 20th century, at 220 meters long. A trompe-l'oeil facade that bears witness to the crazy dream of brothers Alphonse and Raymond Réthoré. They wanted to make the castle the "little Versailles of Charente." Construction began in 1939 with the so-called Azulejos room, adorned with these typical Portuguese earthenware tiles, just parallel to the rear of the original 19th-century manor house on the foundations of an old bourgeois residence built in the 16th century.

The two brothers spend lavishly. Nothing is too good for their castle and this incredible façade. Designed like a theater set, it was to house a collection of works of art unearthed from all over Europe. A stone utopia that shatters against the wall of reality. The Réthoré brothers are ruined. The dream collapses, frozen in the silence of the stones. Half a century later, the stone giant has emerged from its torpor. "Fifteen years is short and it goes by very quickly, but we're starting to see the end of the project," breathes Didier Jobit, mayor of Magnac-Lavalette-Villars.

The municipality took control of the building in 2010 and launched a vast restoration campaign. Volunteers, artisans, and a social work project take turns at the château's bedside. A last-minute rescue when the roof threatened to collapse. "We did everything with almost nothing," says the elected official. He's the happiest man on a backhoe, consolidating part of the façade's foundations. The void behind has given way to an orange grove. A 300 m² room renovated in 2023 and opened to the public last year. It impresses with its high rubble walls and spectacular wooden frame extracted from the neighboring forest belonging to the château. Its immense bay windows embrace the park. The only departure from the Réthoré neo-Renaissance style is the marble floor replaced with washed gravel. "We needed a less fragile material to withstand the movement of potted orange and lemon trees," explains Didier Jobit.

Extending from the orange grove and the façade, the final project is nearing completion after three years of work. An artists' residence has been created on one floor. It includes accommodation and a studio. The final wing of the château, deliberately left as is, will offer these creators a raw space conducive to inspiration. A call for applications will be launched, particularly for craftspeople. A fair is organized every fall, with the next one scheduled for November 22 and 23, 2025. The residence, not open to the public, can also be transformed into a guesthouse for private events. In its original state, the "VIP" room for discussions with these distinguished guests is one of the final developments. It will bring to a close an extraordinary project, born from a dream and saved by a collective passion. The little Versailles of Charente has never been so vibrant.