Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Montsûrs, now in ruins, was a strategic medieval fortress located on natural steepments reinforced by moat fed by the Jouanne and Vesnard rivers. In the 14th century he belonged to the Laval family and became the residence of Bertrand du Guesclin after his marriage to Jeanne de Laval in 1374. The castle, with an estimated circumference between 1,200 and 1,500 metres, was protected by several towers, a drawbridge and deep ditches. It even housed four chapelies founded by André de Laval in the 13th century.

During the Hundred Years War, the castle was besieged and burned in 1429 by the English under the orders of the Earl of Arundel, lieutenant of King Henry VI. Despite his partial destruction, he retained a symbolic importance: Louis XI passed there with his army in 1472 during his conflict with John II of Valois. In the 19th century, five towers were still visible, but today only the Renaise Tower, known as "Paradise aux Biques" (registered with the Historic Monuments in 1925), and the tower of the Fuie. The rest was destroyed between 1833 and 1855 to build the parish church.

The "Paradis aux Biques" tower takes its name from the local legend and recalls the turbulent history of the site, linked to major figures such as Jeanne d'Arc (via André de Lohéac, a companion born in the castle) and the Guesclin family. The castle was one of the ten chestnuts in Laval County, highlighting its political and military role in the region. The current, though fragmentary, remains offer a rare testimony of medieval defensive architecture in Mayenne, marked by repeated conflicts and successive reconstructions.

External links