About Le Castelier:
Three years working for a Roman jeweller has taught Virginie that everything in Europe leads back to Rome somehow (the Italians are really very proud of this), and the name of the property is no different. “Le Castelier” is derived from the Latin for “the castle” and over two thousand years ago there’s evidence that St Désir and Lisieux was the site of a Gallo-Roman fortified town.
In the 19th century, with the boom of industrialisation across Europe, many bourgeois families suddenly found themselves with new fortunes, and with this wealth they created beautiful properties with sprawling grounds and farms. The site at Le Castelier used to have a Chateau and once connected many farms as well as a park for leisure. The Chateau no longer exists, as it was bombed during WWII. Normandy as a region was occupied during WWII and many cities were destroyed by bombardment (including Lisieux, which is why you won’t see so many historic buildings in town). The story goes that the Nazis were occupying a neighbouring chateau, and to avoid having their base destroyed by the Allies they had put out a Red Cross sign, which meant that this chateau at Le Castelier was bombed instead. In the park where you might come across ponds, these ponds were actually the result of bomb holes.
The family that owned the property ended up selling it in 1955, which was fortuitous because soon thereafter in the 60’s Grand dad Pithon (Papi) would move the family back from Casablanca in Morocco. Michel Pithon was in the citrus fruit export business in Casablanca, and when he returned to Normandie he purchased this property for its apple farm and continued an apple export business until the 80’s.
Virginie and her brother were dropped off at Le Castelier every summer where they made many amazing memories with their grandmother and cousins. This location is a family home and is of sentimental significance - Arthur and Virginie hope to make many new memories here.
