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Origin and history

The Hotel de Montfrand, also known as Hotel de Sèze and Hotel de Montfrand or Hotel Rousseau de Montfrand, is a private hotel located in Laval, in the department of Mayenne. Built mainly in the 18th century, it is distinguished by its pink marble porch and its painted bellow facades, with openings made of limestone or granite. Some parts, such as the rear turret and the street house body, date back to the 16th and 17th centuries, with dates bearing (1561, 1614, 1674). The wing in return of square, added in 1730, completes this architectural ensemble.

Originally, the hotel belongs to the Duchemin family, Vallois traders, before passing to the Rousseau de Montfrand. During the French Revolution, in 1793, he welcomed General Louis de Salgues de Lescure, who had been wounded during the campaign of the Catholic and Royal Army of Vendée. Lescure, cared for by surgeon Louis-Jean-Baptiste-Étienne Baguenier Desormeaux, greets the Salesian troops from his window. A marble plaque, later affixed by the Viscount of Aboville, commemorates this episode.

The hotel then becomes the residence of Nicolas Harmand, the first prefect of the Mayenne. Its remarkable elements, such as woodwork on the first floor, carved chimneys or wooden staircase, have been protected since 1983. An additional inscription in 2023 extends this protection to all the houses, communes ( stables, orangery) and courtyards, including fence walls, wells and pavements. The building thus illustrates both local history and architectural evolutions between Renaissance and 18th century.

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