La bourrine
In the Vendée, and more particularly in the Vendéen marshes, the bourrine is an integral part of the territory's identity. The life of the maraîchine is indeed organized around this earthen construction with a thatched roof and whitewashed walls, which has an adjoining barn where cows, pigs and chickens live. The vegetable garden completes the decor and provides the vegetables necessary to feed the household.
Its typical architecture is also characterized by relatively low facades, small openings and a general orientation towards the south. As for its hipped roof made from reeds, it served to protect the bourrine from prevailing winds and rain on the west gable. It should be noted that the construction of a bourrine led to an organization of its interior that did not vary much. The furniture was almost always configured in the same way, with cattail beds placed perpendicularly on either side of the fireplace. A step box, replaced in the twentieth century by the poërons (small masonry benches) was placed along these beds. The table or the tablecloth were placed vertically to the only window of the room. The floor, made of clay, and the roof with two slopes and no ceiling, which was sometimes covered with braided mats, are the other characteristic elements of the bourrine.
The farmhouse
A house with a split structure, consisting of a dwelling and several buildings for specific uses, including the barn. The volume of a tenant farm takes into consideration the total exploitable surface around the buildings. This type of configuration can be found in the Vendée plain.
The castles
If the Vendée is primarily known for its vast coastline and its many beautiful sandy beaches, did you know that it has nearly sixty castles and dwellings, spread throughout the department? This characteristic is at the origin of a rich historical and architectural heritage. Most of these castles and dwellings are located in the Vendée bocage, but the coast is also very well endowed with sites of great interest, which can be classified according to different periods, between medieval or feudal castles, Renaissance castles, castles and dwellings of the 17th century and those built in the following centuries. Among them, the castle of Tiffauges is probably the best known of the department, and one of the most beautiful examples of military architecture. Tiffauges is the dowry of Catherine de Thouars who married Gilles de Rais in 1420, and it is the castle where he is said to have perpetrated his atrocities, hence the nickname "Bluebeard's castle". Another fine example of a feudal castle is the castle of Noirmoutier, whose first traces appear in 830. A defensive castle was used to protect the monks of the Saint-Philbert monastery against the Vikings. Another island castle, that of theisland of Yeu, built by Olivier IV of Clisson to ensure the safety of the islandersin case of invasion. This castle was occupied by an English corsair for 37 years, before being taken back during the conquest of Poitou. The castle of Talmont, a fortress built in the 11th century which Richard the Lionheart, Duke of Aquitaine, took possession of in 1169, is also one of the most visited castles in the Vendée. Animations for children and shows are organized there in summer.
Even if it was reworked in the 15th century on the basis of a castle built around the year 1000, with its ditches, its polygonal enclosure, its towers, its covered walkway on machicolations, its typical archways and cannons, its original framework..., the feudal castle of Sigournais represents one of the best examples of medieval military architecture in the Vendée. Among the other feudal castles that are definitely worth a visit, the castles of Commequiers, La Garnache, La Flocellière, Les Essarts, Vendrennes, the castle of Pouzauges or the one of L'Echasserie in La Brufière. Also to be seen is the keep of Bazoges-en-Pareds, the Mélusine tower in Vouvant and the Moricq tower in Angles.
With the Renaissance, new buildings appeared, majestic and elegant, like the castle of Terre-Neuve in Fontenay-le-Comte, which welcomed illustrious people such as Nicolas Rapin, companion in arms of Henri IV and writer, Agrippa d'Aubigné, the Duke of Sully but also Georges Simenon. Quite simply one of the most beautiful Renaissance castles in the Vendée! A private castle, inhabited and classified as a historical monument. To see also during your stay in Vendée, the castle of Guignardière in Avrillé, the castle of Apremont, the one of La Grève in Saint-Martin-des-Noyers... The castle of Bessay has a tower and a dovecote dating from the XVIth century, the dwelling dates from the XVIIth and XVIIIth centuries... High place of the history of the Vendée, visit the logis de la Chabotterie, place of the arrest of the royalist leader of Charette, which put an end to the war of the Vendée. In total, there are more than 25 Renaissance castles to admire and discover. And among the 17th century houses and castles that are worth a visit, note the Beaumarchais castle in Brétignolles-sur-Mer, but it is a private property.
The churches
Churches, abbeys, cathedrals... the religious heritage of the Vendée is rich, as evidenced by the numerous buildings scattered throughout the department. The church of Saint-Croix, in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, contains magnificent stained glass windows. In Noirmoutier, the Saint-Philbert church is also interesting to discover for those interested in the history of the Vendée. Classified as a historical monument, its crypt provides a lot of information and explanations on the foundation of the island. In Luçon, the Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption cathedral is worth a visit, for its sumptuous architecture, its splendid stained glass windows, or its organ and the feeling of peace that emanates from it. Also to be discovered, the Saint-Philibert church, in Beauvoir-sur-Mer, the Grainetière abbey in Les Herbiers, the Saint-Vincent Royal abbey in Nieul-sur-l'Autise, or the Maillezais abbey.
