Presumed construction of feudal mites XIe siècle (≈ 1150)
Artificial butts near the chapel
1622
Foundation of an annual mass
Foundation of an annual mass 1622 (≈ 1622)
By Catherine de Favières for the Assumption
31 janvier 1792
Sale as a national good
Sale as a national good 31 janvier 1792 (≈ 1792)
For 2,575 pounds during the Revolution
XIXe siècle (fin)
Partial collapse of the chapel
Partial collapse of the chapel XIXe siècle (fin) (≈ 1899)
Only walls and choir remain
24 juin 2019
Registration for Historic Monuments
Registration for Historic Monuments 24 juin 2019 (≈ 2019)
Total protection of the building and its remains
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The former chapel Saint-Jacques and Sainte-Anne de l'Acluse, in its entirety, located at the place known as the Lock, as delimited on the plan annexed to the decree (Box YA 168): inscription by order of 24 June 2019
Key figures
Payen de La Beschère - Curé de Saint-Jacques de l'Écluse
Mentioned in a medieval act
Catherine de Favières - Founder of a Mass in 1622
Legate for the chapel
Abbé Angot - 19th century local historian
Studyed feudal mottes
Origin and history
The chapel Saint-Jacques-et-Sainte-Anne de l'Écluse, located in Brecé in the department of Mayenne (Pays de la Loire), was originally integrated into the castle of the Lockhouse, today destroyed. This castle, located 1.5 km south of the village, dominated the confluence of the Colmont and its tributaries, near ancient medieval ways. The chapel, pure Romanesque style, had a nave of 10 meters by 6 and an apse choir. His term associated Saint-Jacques and Sainte-Anne, although the archives also mention a parish priest named Payen de La Beschère, linked to the parish church of Saint-Jacques de l'Écluse and Fougerolles in the Middle Ages.
The Lock site housed two artificial mounds, interpreted as 11th century feudal mounds by Abbé Angot. The smallest, composed of stoneless sand, would be a typical "castle tree" of that time. The seigneury of the Lock, with jurisdictional rights (acquits, franchises, seals), passed into the hands of successive noble families: the Lock, Montgiroux, Mathefelon, Raynier and Plessis-Châtillon. The chapel, sold as a national property in 1792 for 2,575 pounds, fell into ruins in the 19th century, retaining only its walls and choir.
In 1622 Catherine de Favières founded an annual Mass for the Assumption. The building, registered with the Historical Monuments in 2019, is now owned by the municipality of Brecé. Its inscription covers the entire chapel, including its vestiges delimited on a cadastral plane (park YA 168). Historical sources, such as Abbé Angot's writings, underline his role in the local feudal organization, marked by seigneurial rights and persistent religious activity despite its architectural decline.
The exact location of the chapel, at the place called the Lock, remains approximate (map precision noted 5/10), with a cadastral address associated with the subdivision of the Douette. Its present state, after centuries of abandonment, reflects the transformations of the rural heritage of Mayen, between medieval heritage and contemporary management. The two nearby mots, although not exhaustively searched, bear witness to the early feudal occupation of the site, linked to the chestnutlia mentioned in the ancient texts.
