In my nostalgic saga of my family visits to wonderful places in my belle France, we found one off the beaten path we like, We have come here by car in my road warrior trails and found me a gem worth the detour, I did found me a picture in my cd rom vault that prompted me to do this post for you and me, Therefore, here is my take on this is Gratot !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
The village of Gratot is located in the Manche dept no, 50 in the Normandie region of my belle France, It has a a population of 674. It is located 5 km from Coutances, 32 km from Granville, 80 km from Mont Saint Michel, 104 km from Caen, 328 km from Versailles, 268 km from my current home, We came here from Versailles along the D186 bd du Roi and Bd Saint Antoine to connect with exit/sortie 6 of the A13 autoroute de Normandie dir Rouen, past Caen continue on the A84 (route des estuaires) dir Villiers-Bocage to exit/sortie 40 taking the N174 dir Torigny les Villes then dir Saint Lô pass the town and on exit/sortie 6 take the D972 road dir Saint Gilles, continue same road to Coutances which after road change name to D971 next round point take the D44 to your right next round point take right on the D244 and see on your right parking to access the church and castle.
The Château de Gratot is an old fortified residence, from the end of the 13C and beginning of the 14C, remodeled many times and abandoned at the beginning of the 20C, the remains of which stand in the in the territory of the village of Gratot. The remains of the castle, visible today, date from the 13c to the 18C. Built by the Argouges family, restored and remodeled several times at the end of the Middle Ages and in the 17C before remaining abandoned for a long time, The Château de Gratot is in the form of a quadrangular enclosure surrounded by wide moats supplied with water by the fontaine à la Fée or Fairy fountain. The courtyard of the castle was entered through a postern pierced by a pedestrian gate and a cart gate, each equipped with a drawbridge with arrows, as evidenced by the grooves that can still be seen today. To the west stands a corner tower, the former entrance to the castle, built at the end of the 13C, which has a walled gate. At the rear, a small four-arched bridge, which spans the moat, gave access to the French garden of the castle. The 15C and 17C lordship dwelling is located between the Round Tower and the Fairy Tower. The ground floor has large windows, the first floor has semicircular facade dormers. The Round Tower, topped with a watchtower, dates from the 15C and retains a medieval appearance. The tower known as the Fairy Tower was built at the end of the 15C or the beginning of the 16C. Octagonal in shape at the base, it ends in a square-shaped room supported by four squinches; it is topped with a saddle roof, the top of which is decorated with balustrades and gargoyles. The cellars, whose entrance is located at the foot of the Round Tower, have two of them with lowered arched vaults and the third a groin vault on a central pillar. The outbuildings, composed of two rectangular buildings from the 16C, frame the postern gate. In the rooms of one of the outbuildings, a permanent exhibition “Gratot, centuries of life” traces the history of the castle and its architecture. The castle regularly hosts cultural events.
A bit of history I like of the Château de Gratot tell us that built from the 13C, it was transformed many times until its peak in the 17C, becoming the seat of a marquisate, before being abandoned in the 19C, and today becoming a tourist attraction. The Gratot family is known to us from the 11C. A Clérembault de Gratot accompanied the Duke of Normandy William during the conquest of England. In 1204, during the conquest of Normandy by Philip Augustus, the Lord of Gratot, Richard de Creully, having taken up the cause of the King of England, John Lackland, saw his lands and castle confiscated by the King of France. It was Philip d’Argouges who built the current castle from the 14C on the foundations of the old feudal castle. Several changes of owners and finally In 1968, Jean-Pierre Tiphaigne, his grandson, led a first volunteer project to clear the ruins and created the Centre d’animation du château de Gratot, which has since been responsible for its restoration and animation.
Other things to see here are the Chanteloup Manor from the beginning of the 16C located not far from the Chanteloup stream and less than a km of the castle of Gratot. Notre-Dame Church from the 15C and 18C, It is the old church of the castle with a 15c bell tower, sundial. It houses the tombstones of the lords of Argouges, baptismal fonts from the 15C, a bell dated 1820 , The Saint-Gerbold Hermitage in the Landes from the 15C, one of the last built hermitages still existing in France , The Homméel Church from the 12 – 17C, used by the Anglicans for their worship. It houses a 16C baptismal font and a 15C Virgin and Child.
A bit of history I like of Gratot tell us that the lords of Gratot participated in the Battle of Hastings in 1066. In the first half of the 12C, the parish was under the honor of Hommet. Clarembald de Gratot was a benefactor of the Abbey of Lessay. Jeanne de Gratot 12C brought the lordship of Gratot into the hands of the d’Argouges family, one of the greatest Norman families, following her marriage to Guillaume d’Argouges. According to an avowal of the lordship of Marigny submitted to the king in 1408, we see that it was a half-barony on which Gratot depended, a knight’s fief. In 1439, Jean d’Argouges was lord of Gratot and Granville. The lordship was raised to a marquisate by Louis XIV in favor of the d’Argouges family who owned the village from 1251 to 1771.
The village of Gratot on its heritage : http://www.gratot.fr/pages/gratot/patrimoine-et-monuments.html
The official Château de Gratot : https://www.chateaugratot.com/
The Coutances tourist office on the Château de Gratot : https://www.tourisme-coutances.com/offers/chateau-de-gratot-gratot-en-3033785/
The Manche dept 50 tourist office on the Château de Gratot : https://www.attitude-manche.fr/visiter-que-faire/top-sites-incontournables/chateau-pirou/#chateau-de-gratot
There you go folks, a wonderful find in off the beaten path trails of the Manche dept 50. The memories lingered of so many road warrior trails passed with the family and glad still have pictures to show it, Again, hope you enjoy this post on this is Gratot !!! as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 