Château de Torigni-sur-Vire

En un regard

Le château en bref

In the centre of Torigny-les-Villes, in the south-east of the Manche department, the Château des Matignon is the remnant of a major seigneurial residence of Renaissance Normandy. On the site of a medieval fortress, the Matignon family, lords of the place from 1450 until the Revolution, built from the 1540s onwards a vast complex that was remodelled until the early 18th century. Badly damaged during the Revolution, which turned it for a time into a prison before demolishing most of it, it was purchased by the commune in 1817 to house the town hall. The bombing of 12 June 1944 left only its walls standing, and successive municipal administrations have since rebuilt it. Today, three wings frame a courtyard that opens to the west onto the Cour aux Canons; the surviving wing, in the Louis XIII style, displays a north façade of red puddingstone. The château houses the municipal services, reception rooms and a temporary exhibition gallery, and can be explored on guided tours by request.