Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Bazouges, built in the 11th century as a defensive fortress of Haut-Anjou against the threats of the House of Blois or of the County of Maine, was profoundly redesigned in the 15th century to strengthen the protection of Anjou during the Hundred Years War. Located on the banks of the Loir, it marked the boundary between the seneschals of La Flèche and Baugé, under the authority of the Champagne family. His owners, including Baudouin de Champagne, knight and chamberlain of King René, played a key role in conflicts against the English, notably as captain of Le Mans and Tours.

In the 15th century, the castle with two oval towers, with mâchicoulis and a vaulted chapel, symbolizes the Angelian military architecture. The fortress was gradually transformed, from the 16th to the 19th century, into a pleasure residence by various owners, integrating bodies of Renaissance houses, 18th century salons, and a seigneurial mill of the 15th to 16th centuries. The French-style gardens, lined with water, and the orchard with its cooler complete this revamped medieval ensemble.

Ranked a Historic Monument in 1928, the castle preserves defensive elements such as moat, drawbridge, and a circular enclosure. Its commons, mills, and courtyards, protected since 1994, bear witness to its architectural evolution. Today still owned by the descendants of Adrien Mithouard, who acquired it in 1910, the castle illustrates the transition between medieval fortress and aristocratic residence of Modern Times.

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