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Key figures

Origin and history

The château de la Bermondière, located in Saint-Julien-du-Terroux (Mayenne), is an 18th-century "madness" typical of the pleasure pavilions built for the bourgeoisie. Around 1740, Pierre de Jarosson, squire and secretary of the king, had him rebuilt in an elegant style, with rounded corners and a facade facing the Mayenne River. The architecture, inspired by Parisian models such as the Champs-sur-Marne castle, reflects the influence of François Blondel.

The estate was linked to the physicist René-Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur, friend of the Jarossons, who died there in 1757. After his death, a conflict of succession led to the sale of the castle in 1763. During the Revolution, he was looted and his cartrier burned. In the 20th century, after a fire in 1943 caused by the Germans, it was rebuilt by architect Jacques Decap for Robert of the Plessis of Argentré.

The seigneury of the Bermondière, mentioned from the 14th century, belonged long to the Malet family before being acquired by Pierre-François Jarosson. The latter, a prosecutor in the Paris Parliament, made it a summer residence. The chapel, rebuilt in 1742, was blessed by the bishop of Joppa. The estate also included farms, mills and salt marshes, demonstrating its economic importance.

Réaumur, a major figure in the Enlightenment, received scholars like Jean-Étienne Guettard. Its scientific heritage is associated with local red granite and regional botany. After his death, the castle changed hands several times, including M. de Barberé in 1763. Successive reconstructions, especially after 1943, preserved its compact plan and architectural singularities.

Father Angot describes the castle as a "inverted pot" because of its chimneys and rounded corners, rare style in Mayenne but running near La Rochelle, where the wife of Jarosson was originally born. The terraced gardens and the promenade along the Mayenne highlight its landscape integration. Today, there is still a remarkable example of the madness of the 18th century in Pays de la Loire.

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