Who are we ?
For Jacques and Michel Guyot, it all started in 1979 when they first bought the castle of the Grande Mademoiselle.
The castle of the Grande Mademoiselle, located in Burgundy near the city of Auxerre, once belonged to Louis XIV’s cousin and at the time was in a terrible state of abandonment and decay. Its two hectares of roofs were covered in holes and it had scared away all potential buyers. Nonetheless, the two brothers — aged 28 and 32 — took up the challenge, even though they didn’t have a penny in their pockets. At the same time, Saint-Fargeau gained public attention in France thanks to the TV show "Au Plaisir de Dieu", adapted from a novel by the academician Jean d’Ormesson. It marked the beginning of a great adventure that, 35 years later, ensured the definitive preservation of Saint-Fargeau. In order to achieve that, they first developed a holiday center (summer camp…) that could welcome a hundred children in one of the five wings of the castle. Later, it opened to the public and drew more than 40,000 visitors in its first season. Finally, the generous mobilization of more than 600 volunteers and actors, along with hundreds of riders from four different departments, helped create a great historical show that now features four generations of performers. More than a million enthusiastic spectators have supported this human adventure and its ongoing journey.
In 1987 Jacques Guyot bought the Château de la Ferté Saint Aubin in Sologne. Originally from Bourges, he had known this château since childhood. It was therefore a dream come true when he became the owner of this grand residence. The overall condition of the place was heartbreaking to see. One of the wings of the majestic outbuildings had burned down in 1944 and it had remained as it was after the fire. Rubbles from this episode and decades-old vegetation had invaded the building. The stables were covered with corrugated iron and the framework was only supported by props to prevent it from collapsing. Over a hectare of roof needed to be replaced and the interior condition of the château required a general restoration.
After 25 years of work, the Orangery has been rebuilt (for 1 million euros spent to restore it), the main courtyard was redesigned, the stables rehabilitated and the roofs are almost finished.
Nonetheless much remains to be done. The buildings that are built on the grounds surrounded by the castle’s moats are weakened. Over 800 meters of the terrace need to be consolidated, the stone balustrades are in need of reconstructions and the interiors of the castle still require a lot of investment. The rescue of la Ferté Saint Aubin is financed through various sources: a reception hall, two charming cottages, annual events, and most importantly the 50 000 annual visitors. With each ticket a visitor buys, four new tiles for the roof are funded.
La Ferté Saint Aubin is currently the most visited castle in Loiret!
When it comes to Bridoire, the castle has been abandoned by its owner since the 1980s. A shell company located in Senegal had bought the place but the owner never deemed to show up. As a result, Bridoire endured over 20 years of looting and destruction and gradually became a martyr of its time. Not a single thing was spared: chimneys, doors and woodwork stolen, windows broken, parquet floors torn out... It was carnage! During this period, the castle suffered more damages and destruction than at any other time in its history.
Thanks to citizen and media mobilization, the Association for the Preservation of the Château de Bridoire obtained the automatic classification of the château as a Historic Monument. As stipulated in French law for historic monuments abandoned by their owners, an expropriation process was initiated to save the castle. Since the Law on the Protection of Historic Monuments was passed in 1913, this was the first time in France that a site like this had been expropriated. It then led to the carrying out of emergency works to stop the degradation. Moreover the State launched a call for tenders with strict specifications. The two main clauses were restoring Bridoire and opening it to the public.
Catherine and Jacques Guyot were moved by the story of Bridoire and its current situation: a risk of subdivision of the castle’s gardens and the surrounding countryside to build a tourist complex of hundred houses! As they were willing to save the place and prevent this worst case scenario from happening they were the chosen candidates by the State and they ended up signing the deed of sale on September 13th, 2011.
After a first campaign of lightning works and an intense renovation period of 6 months, the castle opened its doors to the public for the first time in its history on July 1rst, 2012.
40,000 visitors crowned the success of its first opening season. Bridoire now welcomes 60 000 visitors a year.
