Château de Saint-Éman

En un regard

Le château en bref

The Château de Saint-Éman (Eure-et-Loir), at the heart of the village where the source of the Loir rises, is a Second Empire mansion with twin turrets and red brick. It was built between 1865 and 1874 by Count Charles-Gustave de Goussencourt and completed by his son, Edgar-Antoine. It replaced an earlier timber château belonging to the Du Mouchet family, who were the lords of the place. With 25 rooms over four storeys, the estate originally covered 22 hectares and included stables, kennels and workers' housing. In 1876, Edgar de Goussencourt had a Bollée hydraulic ram installed there, which carried spring water a kilometre up to the château's upper floors. The château was occupied by Prussian officers during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1871, then abandoned and allowed to deteriorate for decades. In 2003 the estate was sold at auction to José and Jocelyne Abreu for 241 000 €, and they are continuing its restoration. The village is also known as the site of the source of the Loir, which makes it an emblematic spot of the ‘Côté de Guermantes’ that local Proust enthusiasts associate with nearby Illiers-Combray.