Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The château du Bois, located in Soulaire-et-Bourg en Anjou, is a classical style building built in the 17th and 18th centuries on the foundations of a medieval strong house attested from 1437. The estate, originally owned by the family of Portebize, is cited in royal archives when it was restored to Jehan de Portebize by Charles VII after the Hundred Years War. The nobility of this line, confirmed in the seventeenth century, marks the history of the place, especially with figures such as Ambroise de Portebize, who died in 1590 during the Wars of Religion.

The current house, in tufted and slate, is characterized by a central body flanked by pavilions, a carved pediment and a listed monumental staircase. In the 18th century, the castle passed through alliances with the families of Lespinay, Sorhoët, and then with angelic traders like Jean Jouin. In 1871 he was bequeathed to the commune for a girls' school, before returning to the Loizeau de Grandmaison after 1905. Acquired in 1957 by the Baron de Loture, it is partially classified as a historical monument in 1972 for its facades, roofs, staircase and fireplace.

The estate preserves a landscape park, agricultural outbuildings and a dovecote, witness to its seigneurial past. Although private property and not open to the public, it illustrates the classical architecture of Angelina and the evolution of a medieval site in aristocratic residence. Restorations in the 20th century preserved its roofs, campanile and skylights, while archives mention a possible genealogical link with director Denis Villeneuve.

The elements protected since 1972 include facades, Mansart roofs, the interior staircase and the kitchen fireplace, highlighting the heritage value of the site. The castle is part of a coherent set with its French garden on terraces, formerly decorated with statues and basin, and its agricultural communes. Its history reflects the social changes of Anjou, from medieval lords to bourgeois owners of the eighteenth century.

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