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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Château du Bas-Plessis, originally located in the commune of Chaudron-en-Mauges (Maine-et-Loire), is a former fiefdom of the seigneury of Montrevault. In the 15th century, it belongs to the Chenu family, after the marriage of Pierre Chenu, knight of the King's Order, with Jeanne Bérard, lady of Bas-Plessis. In 1602, Pierre Chenu obtained the right to erect the land in chestnut, with seigneurial privileges such as the right to provost and mill, granted by Charles Turpin, Count of Montrevault.

During the Vendée War (late 18th century), the castle served as a refuge for Lescure, wounded, before being burned in 1794. There are only two medieval towers on the edge of a pond. Reconstructed in 1845 in a neo-classical style, it was expanded in 1875 to house the library of the Marquis de Villoutreys. In 1982, the library wing was dismantled to restore its "original architectural line", and the works were transferred to the Catholic University of the West.

The estate, which has been listed as a historic monument since 1992 (with an extension in 2024), comprises two medieval round towers connected by a courtine, as well as a park of more than 100 hectares crossed by Saint-Germain Creek. This park, shared between the municipalities of Botz and Chaudron-en-Mauges, is home to centuries-old trees and factories such as the Cathelineau arcade. The castle belonged to several generations of the Villoutreys family, some of which were local mayors in the 19th century.

The protected elements include medieval towers, vaulted cellars, and park structures such as doorways and the enclosure wall. The site thus illustrates the evolution of a seigneurial fief in aristocratic residence, marked by the vendean conflicts and architectural transformations of the 19th and 20th centuries.

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