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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Château de Belledaughter, located in Chemiré-le-Gaudin in the Sarthe, is a building whose origins date back to the 16th and 18th centuries. Its facades, roofs, entrance gate and dovecote were listed as historic monuments on April 11, 1973, attesting to their heritage value. This castle illustrates the aristocratic residential architecture of the region, with elements characteristic of the two eras of construction.

In the second half of the 18th century, the castle belonged to Jacques-Nicolas Nepveu, nicknamed Nepveu de Belledaughter. His brother, Canon Nepveu de la Manouillera, left traces of his stays in Belledaughter in his diary, offering a rare testimony about the life in this place at that time. These historical records underline the role of the castle as a residence of local notables, reflecting the social and cultural dynamics of the Sarthe under the Ancien Régime.

The registration of historical monuments in 1973 allowed to preserve key elements of the estate, such as the commons and the dovecote, often associated with the seigneurial or agricultural organization of the large estates. Today, Belledaughter Castle remains a notable example of the architectural heritage of the Pays de la Loire, linked to the family history of the Nepveu and the evolution of the provincial elites in the 17th and 18th centuries.

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