Castle of Anthenaise en Mayenne

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Key figures

Origin and history

The Castle of Anthenaise, located in La Chapelle-Anthenaise in Mayenne, was originally referred to as the Plessis of Anthenaise until the end of the 15th century. This place, mentioned in medieval documents as a fief of the seigneury of Laval, was to provide an armed guard at the Château de Laval according to an admission of 1407. The surrounding land, covered with moors, historically belonged to the estate of Laval, while the seigneurial seat seems to have been moved from the village to the present site of the castle.

In 1570, Germain d'Anthenaise obtained letters from Charles IX erecting the land of the Plessis d'Anthenaise as a chestnut, although this decision was challenged by the Laval officers. At the beginning of the 17th century, René d'Anthenaise (1610–40), who qualified himself as Baron d'Anthenaise, had a private chapel built in the enclosure of the castle, equipped in 1607 with the land of the Moisière. This chapel, where marriages were celebrated until the 18th century, was probably located in the present space called the Green Court.

Architecturally, the present castle presents a body of rectangular houses with a restored northern facade evoking a Renaissance mansion, complemented by a corbelled turret and skylights. The outbuildings, like the farm with carved lintels, as well as the moat and a drawbridge portal, bear witness to its defensive past. Three small towers and a leak (columbier) still existed in the 19th century. Six damaged shields adorn the gate, recalling the weapons of the former lords.

The Danthenese family, distinct from the ancient medieval house of the same name, was attested from the 14th century as a vassal of Laval. The lords had to fulfil specific military obligations, such as a 15-day and night armed guard. The fief de Châlons, gathered in the estate in 1577, and the surrounding moors underline the extent of their possessions, before the decline of the seigneurial chapel in the eighteenth century marked the end of its religious use.

Historical sources, including Abbé Angot's work and the departmental archives, reveal conflicts of power between the Anthenese seigneurs and the city of Laval, as well as the evolution of the estate's status from simple fief to contested chestnut. The map of Hubert Jaillot and the parish registers complete these testimonies, offering an overview of the local feudal organization and architectural transformations of the site.

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