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For the past two centuries, every generation of the Vitali family has tried to save a monument. We began renovating the sumptuous castle of Vigny in the Val d'Oise starting in 1867, but others too—for example, Fréminville (95), Saint Julien l'Ars (86), Cour-sur-Loire (41), Hemevez (50), and Ham-sur-Heure (in Belgium). The Vitalis have also contributed to the restauration of the Günzburg Hotel in Paris, the Vidoni Caffarelli Palace in Rome, the Villa Fiorentina in Cannes, the prestigious Villa Leopolda in Villefranche sur Mer, and the Villa Fiorentina of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. They have restored several churches, including the church of Vigny, Frémainville, Les Mureaux, Versailles, Cannes, etc. Now it’s up to the next generation: Vanina, Ugo, and Lorenzo (23 to 27 years of age) who took on, right from the cradle, the role of "guardians of a monument in poor condition.” They lavish all their care on La Villaumaire Castle in Touraine.
The rescue team : Vanina, Lorenzo and Ugo Vitali.
... located in the town of Huismes in the heart of the regional natural park “Loire Anjou Touraine,” a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was built mainly in the 15th century on Gallo-Roman foundations, and was reworked and added to in the 17th and 19th centuries.
"South" facade of the castle of "La Villaumaire" in 1910.
Home of the governors of the Véron area between the fifth and sixth centuries, La Villaumaire was later owned by the Church for nearly five centuries. Its first known private owner appeared on the scene at the beginning of the 15th century: Martin Péquineau, Master of the Royal Artillery for Charles VII, King of France, whose court was based in Chinon. Péquineau gave the castle its present appearance and it remained in his family until 1648, when it was acquired by Maurice d'Aubéry. He was a soldier and the son of one of Henry IV and Louis XIII’s ministers. La Villaumaire remained in his family until 1811. After that, the castle was passed from hand to hand, each generation trying to keep it in good condition, and even improve it (e.g., embellishing the main facade by adding an entrance pavilion consisting of two towers, building a clock tower, and constructing the two pavilions of the west-facing facade). The last major restoration campaign was the work of the Princess of La Trémoïlle who acquired the monument in 1923. She carried out major interior work (removal of troubadour-style decor in favor of 17th- and 18th-century-style decor). The glory days of the castle ended with her grandson Charles de Rochechouart, who was the Prince of Tonnay-Charente and Duke of Mortemart and Vivonne. His heirs sold the castle in 1959 to a summer camp that used it as their base of operations for 30 years. It was then sold to a foreign association that abandoned it for 10 years. And, as if that were not bad enough, after forty years of vicissitudes, it was pillaged!
The Vitali family acquired the castle to save it from total destruction in January 1997. Since then, the Vitalis have been carrying out patient and meticulous restoration, devoting most of their time and resources to it. Their first objective is to save the building from ruin, in view of possibly opening it up to the public. The castle is being managed in a not-for-profit manner, all the revenue it generates being reinvested in the structure. Moreover, no public subsidies of any kind have ever been received. The family is aware that it is merely the repository of an estate, which ultimately belongs to history. Everyone knows that saving an historic monument is a job that only bears fruit several generations later—most of those who work on it today will never see the final result.
In the 19th century, a group of heterogeneous and dilapidated buildings (adjoining the castle’s north facade) were destroyed. Did the demolishers know that a demolished building represents three times its volume in rubble? Whether they did or not, the fact remains that thousands of cubic meters of rubble (probably too difficult to evacuate with the means available at the time) were used to fill in the backyard of the castle. Time and abandonment did the rest. Today the back courtyard of the castle, a surface of some 2,800 square meters, is covered 1.5 meters deep with rubble.
Since the castle is built on a hillside and the soil is primarily clay, whenever it rains the water flows down the hill and ponds in the backyard. The castle has become a dam that holds back 2,000 to 4,000 tons of water with its north facade. The force of the water is undermining its foundations and the water that seeps into the structure is ruining the restorations almost as soon as they are completed! In the long run, the castle’s very existence is threatened ... We must save the building.
The
foundations collapse, tear down the building
The restoration
consists of two major phases:
PHASE 1 (2020) : restitution of the castle’s back yard. This will involve removing the rubble (which behaves like a sponge, soaking up the water), stabilizing the foundations, draining the courtyard, building a retaining wall around the courtyard to prevent land collapse, and laying down topsoil.
PHASE 2 (2021) : on the south facade, we'll cut the embankment on which the castle is built to a depth about two meters and build a retaining wall with barbacans (or chantepleures), creating a large terrace in front of the building. This will allow for constant purging of the water coming down the slope and will thus finalize the urgent work of PHASE 1.

The PHASE 1, which is the object of this campaign, is divided into 5 stages:
- Step 1: Excavate the backyard to a depth of 1.50 meters over an area of 2,800 square meters, and remove 4,200 cubic meters of rubble (cost: 10.800 €)
- Step 2: consolidate the damaged foundation parts by injection of waterproof mortars, (Cost: 4.950 €)
- Step 3: Install a drainage system along the castle’s north facade , (Cost: 4,800 €)
- Step 4: Restore the retaining walls on the periphery of the courtyard (Cost: 6.460 €)
- Step 5: Compact, stabilize, and gravel the yard (Cost: 8.640 €)
The overall cost of PHASE 1 is estimated at 36,530 €.
We are not eligible for any public subsidies
We already have 5,000 € own funds (about 14% of the total budget)
Your donations will contribute:
- with € 5,800 (€ 10,800 - € 5,000 own funds), o allow us to excavate the backyard: the water will no longer be dammed by the walls or foundations of the castle.
- with € 5,650 € more, to allow us to put a stop to the subsidence of the foundations,
- with € 4,980 more, to allow us - to allow us to evacuate the rainwater ... The castle will be saved from water!
- with € 6,460 more, to allow us - to render the three previous steps permanent: i.e., to restore the retaining walls of the courtyard, so this does not happen again later!
- with € 8,640 more, to allow us to make the courtyard useable and restore it to its original condition.
The work is scheduled to take place from February 1, 2020 to July 31, 2020.
Our donors will be able to follow its progress on-line, on the dedicated Facebook and Instagram pages.
If contributions surpass our expectations, the surplus would be allocated to PHASE 2 of the same project.
Anyone can participate, starting with an amount as small as 10 €!
Contribute is very simple:
- by an online donation on this page after registration on the Dartagnans website
- by bank transfer on this page after registration on the Dartagnans website
- by check: (specifying your email address) made out to the order of Campaign «SAUVONS LA VILLAUMAIRE» and sent to:
DARTAGNANS
"Campagne Sauvons le Château de La Villaumaire"
15 rue de Milan
75009 Paris
To thank you for your donation, we have planned rewards.
Warning : The anonymity of donors can be respected upon request. In the absence of an express request, their names and images (photos or video) will be published (by way of thanks) on the castle’s media and social networks.
The castle is not open to the public. “Private visits” will be offered only to donors, and the calendar of such private visits will be sent by e-mail.
Email: [email protected]
Tel : 07.77.31.68.82
