Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Averton, built around 1620 by François de Faudoas, was a unique masterpiece of Greek architecture in France. Described in 1695 as a sumptuous building of 34 toises of facade, it included a body of houses between two pavilions, columns on three floors, walled apartments and a chapel. Its gardens, terraces and enclosed park of 80 acres complete this exceptional estate, fed by springs and decorated with water jets. François de Faudoas, protector of the arts, welcomed figures like Scarron, highlighting his cultural role in the 17th century.

Prior to the castle, the land of the Bourg d'Averton, vassal du Vieil-Averton, housed a seigneurial house frequented by Renée d'Averton between 1569 and 1612. The estate included 19 farmhouses, mills, and the forest of Pail, a source of feudal income (smelters, gloves, royalties in kind). The conflicts between the lords of Bourg and Vieil-Averton, marked by symbolic destructions (such as the oratory of Catherine de Coëtivy in 1493) and legal disputes, ceased in 1630 when François de Faudoas acquired the Old Averton.

The French Revolution sealed the decline of the castle: abandoned, it suffered the collapse of its covers, floors and carpentry. In 1793, his furniture was sold as national property by the Executive Board of Évron, under the protection of the German Legion. In the 19th century, the estate was dismantled: sold in 1812 to the Black Band for 380,000 francs, then bought in 1842 by Mr. Vannier, former administrator, who destroyed it to sell the materials. Today, only underground remains, basins, and a well topped by three columns remain.

The feudal history of Averton is marked by tensions between its lords and those of the Old Averton, resolved only in 1630. In 1743 the Bourg d'Averton, raised in chestnut, became a county under Pierre-Marc-Antoine de Langedor. The family charterer, with 23,000 pieces, was dispersed in the 19th century, although some of the archives were recovered by the descendants of the Faudoas-Averton. These documents shed light on medieval disputes and the seigneurial management of the estate.

The descriptions of the 17th century underline the richness of the castle: mythological tapestries (like Perseus and Andromède), a library with titles preserved in an iron cabinet, and a guard room. Alexis de Revignan was captain in 1652. The avenue leading to the castle, bordered by a monumental gate and a drawbridge on the Aussence, reflected its prestige. The 17th century engravings, reproduced in La Maison de Faudoas, remain the only visual evidence of this missing monument.

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