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Origin and history

The château d'Ampoigné, also named château de la Cour, is a building located at the entrance of the commune of Ampoigné, in the department of Mayenne, in Pays de la Loire. Built in the early 17th century by the family of Heliand on a fortified site from the 13th century, it consists of a central pavilion and an independent house added to the 18th century. Both sides were listed as historical monuments on 26 January 1987. The castle retains notable architectural elements, such as two round turrets surrounding the gate, a triangular pediment adorned with a mutilated shield, and an inner staircase with crawling arch.

The land of Ampoigné, on which the castle is built, originally belonged to a family of knights bearing the name of the fief from the eleventh century. Their coats of arms, of silver with six-piece mouths, symbolized their lineage. In the 13th century, the seigneury passed to the Cheorchin, then to the Quatrebarbes in the 14th century, before being acquired in 1609 by Jean d'Héliand, secretary of the king. This noble family, whose arms were of gold with three eagles of Azure, kept the estate until at least the end of the seventeenth century, marking the local history by their influence and patronage, especially towards the Abbey of La Roë.

A legend persists around the castle: in 1688 Jean Leroux, a former officer of the Pouancé salt attic, claimed to have discovered a gold mine in the castle well. He sent the intendant of Tours a squid filled with golden sand taken from the depths, suggesting the presence of iron sulphide with metallic reflections. Despite this allegation, no mining was ever confirmed, and the mystery remains associated with the site. In 1885, the property was transferred to the family of Champagné, closing centuries of possession by the descendants of the lords of Ampoigné.

Ampoigné's fief, sometimes called a chestnut, was vassal of Château-Gontier. His lords were to provide forty days of annual guard at the Saint-Rémy Gate, with their families and men, reflecting feudal military obligations. This system illustrates the hierarchical and defensive organization of the region, where local lords played a key role in protecting territories and channels of communication, while maintaining complex links with neighbouring powers, such as the lords of the Verger.

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