At the western edge of the Pays d’Auge in Normandy, in a wooded region renowned for its stud farms, the Château de Cesny, a listed Historic Monument, began construction in the 18th century under the direction of Marquis Marie-Joseph de Matharel. Construction started with the left wing, built upon the remains of a 17th-century château, and continued with a richly sculpted central projection adorned with remarkable reliefs, an ode to Creation. The pediment’s details reflect the Marquis’s significant role at the time: he was “governor of the towns and castles of Honfleur, Pont-l’Évêque, and the Pays d’Auge.” The façade was likely completed in time for his wedding on May 31, 1739, to Marie Madeleine de Martigny. Widowed, he remarried in 1752 to Adélaïde de Fiennes and died in 1777, leaving the château unfinished, shaped in an L, for many years.

 

Around 1830, Vicomte Alphonse de Quelen added a return wing opposite the left wing, creating the U-shaped symmetry that defines the château today.

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The Reviers de Mauny family settled at Cesny after World War I. Following the Normandy landings, Yvonne de Reviers welcomed some thirty orphaned children to the château.

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In 1967, René Garrec, then President of the Basse-Normandie region, acquired the château, had the façade restored, and initiated the process for its historic listing. In 1977, the façades and roofs of the château were officially classified as Historic Monuments. Notable 17th-century buildings located in the château’s courtyard were also added to the inventory of Historic Monuments.

 

Always a private residence, the château became home to Marie-Laure, and in 2017, Château de Cesny opened its doors to welcome its first guests.