Wedding receptions, seminars, team-building days, family celebrations and concerts for up to 180 seated or 300 standing guests can be held in the reception rooms of the Château de Saint-Pierre-Église, a listed 18th-century château in the village of Saint-Pierre-Église, in the north of the Cotentin peninsula in Normandy.
Seminars and company events
The château is hired for seminars, professional events, team-building days, cocktails and dinners. One to four salons can be booked, so a small committee can work in a single room while a larger group uses the whole suite. Hire is exclusive, which means a company has the house, the courtyard and the park to itself during the event. Central heating allows bookings all year. The owners also run guided visits of the château, its staircase, its salons and its former kitchens in the basement, lasting one to one and a half hours, by appointment.
Weddings and receptions
Weddings, birthdays and christenings are welcome. The couple chooses their own caterer, DJ and decoration; none is imposed. Events may run until 3 a.m., with an extension to 5 a.m. possible for an extra charge per hour. A marquee can be set up outside for a longer guest list, and rooms are set aside for babies and young children to rest during the evening. Guests are asked to leave the rooms tidied to a basic standard.
Rooms and capacities
The Salon bleu, or grand salon, covers 75 m². The Salon rouge, also called Salon Bérulle, and the Salon vert, or Salon Pontgibaud, cover 45 m² each. The Petit salon, or Boudoir, covers 12 m². Together the rooms take 180 seated or 300 standing. The vestibule and the grand staircase with its wrought-iron railing serve for welcome drinks and photographs, and two rooms with a separate entrance are reserved for the caterer.
Accommodation
The Gîte du Manoir, in the outbuildings, has three bedrooms for six or seven people, enough for close family or a small team staying over.
Catering
No caterer is imposed. Clients bring the caterer of their choice, who works from two dedicated rooms with their own access.
History and setting
The Clamorgan family held the seigneurie first, and in 1517 obtained a weekly market for the village from Francis I. The Castel family bought it in 1575; the old castle was burned in 1595, and the outbuildings of the manor built afterwards still stand. The Abbé de Saint-Pierre, son of Charles Castel, became a political thinker whose ideas are linked with the later League of Nations. His nephew Bon-Hervé Castel built the present château in the 18th century, inside 4,750 m of walls enclosing about 50 hectares. The Blangy family owned it in the 19th century. American troops occupied it for a year during the Second World War, Hubert de Blangy restored it afterwards, and work has continued since 1995. The château is a listed historic monument for its exterior and its 18th-century woodwork, marble, ironwork and paintings. The wooded park looks out to the sea.
Getting there
The château stands at 72 rue du Calvaire, with access by rue de la Biretterie, close to the village center and its shops. Cars park in an outdoor area on site.
