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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The castle of Mortreux, located in Daon en Mayenne (Land of the Loire), is a 15th and 16th century building, rebuilt in 1595 by Lancelot Trochon from the ruins of a first castle built in 1453 by Pierre de Mortreux. Its architecture combines defensive elements (douves, murderers) and Renaissance features, such as Henry II style skylights and brick chimneys surmounted by tuffeau. The house body, dated 1595, retains a harmonious south facade reflected in the moat, while the left wing, older (1453), has massive skylights.

The castle suffered damage during the Wars of Religion: in 1591, the Prince of Conti took over the leaguers, burning the central part. The same year, he was then abandoned from 1832 to 1930, before being restored from 1930 by Alain du Hamel Fougeroux de Denainvilliers, with the help of architects like Bricard. The works include the reconstruction of the collapsed tower, the repair of the skylights, and the suppression of stables in the 20th century. During the Second World War, he briefly served as a stopover for German and American troops without suffering damage.

Ranked a Historic Monument in 1933 for its facades and roofs, the castle saw its protection extended in 2023 to its moats, ditches, and hydraulic network. Its history is linked to local noble families, such as the Faye and the Trochon, who had owned it since the 11th century. Gardens and moat were restored in the 21st century (2008 for gardens, 2009-2010 for oak forest). The site preserves traces of its defensive past, such as the remains of drawbridges, and a refuge role during the caulianry (1795) and legitimist insurrection of 1832.

The materials used, typical of the region (dew stone, tuffeau, slate), and the decorative elements (modillon cornices, 18th century wrought iron balcony) illustrate the architectural evolution between the Middle Ages and Renaissance. The archives mention a wrought iron grid as early as 1604, as well as a wooden bridge replaced in 1931. The last restorations ( 1960s) covered blankets, masonries, and moats, while iconographic documents (drawings, postcards) attest to the transformations of the round tower, which became square after its collapse.

The Château de Mortreux also embodies a remarkable hydraulic heritage, with a system of moats and valves always functional. Its additional inscription in 2023 underlines the importance of this network, including a reservoir and fossilized plots. The letters patent of Louis XV (1754) confirmed the seigneurial status of the Tochon de Beaumont family, the last owner before modern restorations. Today, the site combines military history, early classical architecture, and preserved landscapes, showing ten centuries of family continuity and successive adaptations.

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