Château Citran
The story of Château Citran begins during the early 12th century, when in 1122 the Donissan family built a fortress at this spot (clearly not the same building as the more modern maison which stands here today). The name Citran appeared soon afterwards, in 1235, with Guillaume Ramon de Donissan, seigneur of Citran. The Donissan family held onto this title and land for six centuries, passing both down through many generations. Of many sons, one particularly notable scion was Guillaume Raymond de Donissan who, in 1347, held the seigneuries of both Citran and Angludet. By the 18th century the property and all its extensive lands came into the hands of Guy Joseph de Donissan (1737 – 1794), Marquis de Citran. He had married Marie Françoise de Durfort de Civrac (1747 – 1838) on January 26th 1760, and they had at least one daughter together.
During the time of the French Revolution Guy Joseph de Donissan was an instrumental figure in the Guerre de Vendée (1793 – 1796), the counter-revolutionary uprising by a Catholic and Royalist army against the French Revolutionary forces. This conflict resulted in the destruction of many properties in the Vendée, as I have already noted in a number of Muscadet profiles, including those of Vignobles Günther-Chéreau and Chéreau-Carré, to name just two. As retribution for his actions, after his capture Guy Joseph was tried in Angers, where he was condemned to death and shot (presumably the guillotine was out of service) on January 8th 1794.
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