Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Château de la Grandière, located in Grez-Neuville in Maine-et-Loire, is a 16th and 18th century building, listed as a historical monument since 1973. It consists of a 16th century entrance châtelet, an 18th century main house topped by a perron, and a set surrounded by water moats, accessible by an alley of centuries-old plane trees. The estate also includes a one-hectare garden garden, powered by a 19th-century castle, and three-centenary box alleys leading to step-cut rotundas and linden trees. The property, still owned by the family of La Grandière since the twelfth century, bears witness to a continuous occupation on a feudal motte mentioned in 1150.

The current building occupies the site of a former fortified manor house, the Giraudière, whose moat and chestnut remain. In the 18th century, the family of La Grandière transferred its chapel and rebuilt the castle, although the works were interrupted by the Revolution. The building, with a rectangular plan with a central forebody, features tuffle facades and skylights decorated with family weapons. Inside, the vestibule and central staircase distribute the reception rooms, while the original defences (murder, drawbridge) recall its medieval past. The outbuildings, including a farm and agricultural buildings, date mostly from the 19th century, when the garden was also built by landscape architect A. Killian.

The lineage of La Grandière, lords of Grez-Neuville since the 13th century, is closely linked to the site. Hamelin de La Grandière, marrying Elizabeth de La Jaille in the 13th century, founded an uninterrupted dynasty until Jacques de La Grandière, present owner and representative of the 34th generation. The family also owned the Château de Montgeoffroy (Mazé) until 1676, before it was bought by the Marshal of Contades. The nativity window (1620) in the chapel of Sainte-Catherine, built in 1540, illustrates their regional influence. The building, classified in 1973, retains defensive elements and layouts of the 18th and 19th centuries, reflecting its architectural and family evolution.

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