Château de Magny-en-Bessin, Classical château in Magny-en-Bessin, France.
Château de Magny-en-Bessin is a classical stone manor with symmetrical design featuring a central building flanked by two wings extending outward. The structure displays traditional French architecture near Bayeux in Normandy.
A castle may have stood here as early as 1191; the fief passed through the Mailloc, Mannoury and Saint-Ouen families before Guy Chamillart bought it in 1673. Nicolas-Joseph Foucault acquired it on 25 December 1694 and it became a marquisate in February 1695. The present château was built around 1728 on older structures, and the estate covered about 336 hectares, three quarters of today's commune.
The marquis Nicolas-Joseph Foucault II lived at the château from 1736 until his death there on 20 June 1772, aged 95. He was one of the king's lieutenants of the great hunt from 1731 and wintered in Paris at his hôtel de Magny, bought in 1758. His tombstone, damaged in 1794 during the Revolution, is still in the church of Magny-en-Bessin.
The château stands in the village of Magny-en-Bessin, about 4 km southwest of Arromanches-les-Bains and the Channel coast. It is a private, fire-damaged ruin with no regular opening; access is not guaranteed. Preservation remains uncertain, though a new active association aims to carry out work.
Two fires in March 2016 caused severe damage to the building, destroying half of its roofs and interior floors. This disaster prompted the site to receive emergency heritage status and triggered restoration efforts.
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