Vauchelles-Lès-Domart: Château and Church History

Vauchelles-Lès-Domart brings together the Château, the Church of Saint-Nicolas, and traces of a destroyed former church of the same name. For planning your trip, several different highlights are available: a château tour to be arranged in advance, architectural details at the church, and historic building phases.

Château construction and protected areas

The Château de Vauchelles-lès-Domart is a château dating from the beginning of the 17th century, built of brick and stone. It is partially protected as a historic monument. The protection covers the façades and roofs of the château and all the outbuildings, the enclosure walls of the courtyard of honour, the service courtyard, the monumental entrance gate, and two other gates. The decree of January 20, 1976, lists cadastral parcels B 77 and 81. The protection designation therefore applies to specifically named parts and areas, not to the entire estate as a whole.

Planning guided tours

Guided tours of the Château de Vauchelles are available for at least two people and must be arranged in advance by telephone or email. During a tour, you can visit the well with its kiosk, the cider cellar, and the dungeon beneath the English gallery. The availability of individual areas may change; therefore, ask when arranging your visit which stops are planned. This will help you plan your tour around the visits that have actually been agreed upon.

Church of Saint-Nicolas and family crypt

The Church of Saint-Nicolas is built of brick and features architectural elements made of limestone. Beneath the northern arm of the transept is the family crypt of the du Sauzay and des Essarts families, which can be accessed from outside. The material descriptions differ from those for the Château: the château is described as being made of brick and stone, while the church features limestone elements alongside brick. The crypt’s location places it within the church building. A transept arm is a side arm of the transept; the designation “northern” specifies its position.

Building phases of the former church

The destroyed former Church of Saint-Nicolas should be distinguished from the church with the family crypt. Its west façade was probably built in the 13th or 14th century; the choir was probably extended in the 16th century. These two dates place the building in different phases: the west façade is thought to be earlier than the choir extension. In both cases, the dates are approximate and refer to the destroyed former church.

Location above the village and valley

The Château stands on high ground above the village and its valley. From there, you can look out over a French garden and a wooded park. This landscape perspective adds another dimension to the architecture: the high ground describes the Château’s location, while the garden and park are the stated views. If you are weighing different interests when planning your trip, you can consider the tour, which must be arranged in advance, and the landscape setting as separate highlights.

Discover more destinations: Vaux-Marquenneville, Cramont, Velennes, Domléger-Longvillers, Saint-Blimont, Fontaine-Sur-Maye, Neufmoulin, Sentelie.

For the wider travel overview: Somme.