“I cried by learning the news. A glow was lit at the end of the tunnel, because this perspective is decisive for saving the castle, “says Kristell Chedru, on a cloud since the announcement by the Mission Stéphane Bern, last Tuesday, March 18, that his castle located in the north of the Eure is selected to benefit from the support of the 2025 edition of the heritage lotto.
A very great relief that soothes memories of moments of doubt and concern. In 2023, just three weeks after buying the castle of Pont-Saint-Pierre, of whom they had fallen in love with the Seine stones encrusted with flint, moat and large round towers, Kristell and her husband Antoine saw a piece of the frame collapsed, then a section of the facade to collapse. “We knew he was very damaged, but we thought we could put dressings, support, lay tarpaulins. In reality, the craftsmen could no longer enter safely, “recalls the owner, 38, married to a farmer, mother of three, dedicated to the castle since she left her work as a customer service in a quality control company.
The height of happiness for the couple, the Mission Bern, which relies on the French of the Games and on the Heritage Foundation, has integrated their castle into its list of “emblematic sites”, which will share the most important part of the gains. A single project per region has this privilege. “The sum that the Château de Pont-Saint-Pierre will receive will depend on the popular success of the heritage lottery, scheduled for September,” explains Olivier Leclerc, Normandy delegate of the Heritage Foundation. “To get an idea, the stables of the Haras National de Saint-Lô, an emblematic site for Normandy in 2024, received 500,000 euros. »»
Little by little reconstruction
A sum that would be more than welcome to finance the emergency work necessary for the castle, valued at 1.6 million euros. In parallel, a collection of donations aimed at gathering 80,000 euros was launched on the site of the Heritage Foundation.
To integrate the list of emblematic sites, three main criteria must be met. “The site must be in a proven danger, it must be the subject of a real valuation project and it must present criteria for relevant and credible funding. The Pont-Saint-Pierre castle checks these three boxes, ”explains Olivier Leclerc, which specifies that 23 Norman files were candidates this year.
Indeed, unlike the previous owner, an investment company that wanted to transform the place into a subdivision, Kristell and Antoine Chedr want to open the 23 ha domain to the public. They undertook the renovation of the commons to transform them into a seminar space, reception room and accommodation. A first cottage that can accommodate eight people opened last November. This activity must make it possible to generate income to rebuild the castle little by little.
After Henri IV and Bourvil
To help them in their titanic task and to allow the inhabitants of the village to appropriate the castle, the Chedru created an association in June 2024, which already brings together 150 members. “With the friends of the Pont-Saint-Pierre castle, we can organize events open to the public and schoolchildren, participatory sites in the park and the orchard. We have also set up a commission that does research on the history of the field, ”underlines Kristelle Chedru.
On the site of several buildings destroyed previously, the current castle dates from the 15th century. We know with certainty that Henri IV slept there at least once and that Bourvil shot a scene from the film “not so stupid”, in 1946.