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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The castle of Bénéhard, formerly named Benehart, overlooks the Veuve Valley in Chahaignes, Sarthe. Its history dates back to the 15th century with the Benehart family, including Pierre de Benehart, lord of the place, married Marie d'Avaugour around 1450. The estate then passed to the family of Maillé by the marriage of Anne de Villiers with Hardouin de Maillé-Brézé in 1484, marking the beginning of a multisevere possession.

Between 1518 and 1560, Jacques II de Maillé-Bénéhart and his wife Marie de Villebresme built a new Renaissance castle. Their son, James III, participated in the Catholic League against Protestants at the end of the sixteenth century. Vaincu, he saw the castle confiscated by Henry IV before being restored in the early seventeenth century.

Henri I of Maillé-Bénéhart, grandson of James II, obtained the title of Marquis in the seventeenth century and undertook important transformations, giving the castle its present appearance. The estate retained medieval defensive elements, such as an 18th-century tower and a 15th-century Roman press restored in 1991. Ranked a Historical Monument in 1987, it was acquired in 2015 by artist Bruce de Jaham.

The architecture combines Renaissance windows and windows with 17th century additions, with a typical façade of the Loire castles. The 18th century terraced gardens, unique in the region, and the communes of the 15th and 16th centuries complete this remarkable ensemble. The site, registered since 1946 for its 20.6 hectares, bears witness to the evolution of a medieval fortress as a seigneurial residence.

The castle, built in tuffeau and covered with slates, also houses a bread oven and a still functional 16th century bude. Its monumental portal and vaulted cellars, dug in the hillside, recall its defensive role during the Hundred Years War. Today, it combines historical heritage and contemporary life, after belonging to noble families and then to private owners.

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