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Origin and history

The castle of Bréon-Subert, mentioned in 1229 under the name Capella de bosco de Breilensubert, was a fief vassal of the castle of Angers. Located 2.5 km north of Daon, on the banks of the Mayenne River, its name derives from the nearby Bert Creek. The estate included fortified accommodation, enclosed gardens, and 26 meadows along the river, as described in the 1406 admission. The nickname Sur-Bert (or Bréon-Subert) reflects this geographic proximity to the creek.

In the 15th century, the castle housed a seigneurial chapel, in manerio domini temporalis, and a priory dedicated to Saint-Blaise, dependent on the abbey of La Roë. In 1443, the lord of Daon asked the religious to rebuild the chapel of Pont-à-l'Abbé, destroyed during the Hundred Years War. The estate covered two estates (Haut and Bas-Bréon) and Bois-aux-Fées, covering about 100 newspapers. The lords of Bréon-Subert, also lords of Daon, owed to Angers only a symbolic confession: a bouzon with feathers of the eagle, bound with gold thread.

In 1769, the châtelain described a complex comprising pavilions, private chapel, stables, terraces and ditches, all covering two septa. The domestic chapel, object of tension with the priory, had been hosting a Sunday Mass since 1729, after an official sentence. A gabelle guard was also present on the site. The archives also mention reparations imposed on the priory in 1666, highlighting the close links between seigneurial and religious power.

The names of the castle have evolved over the centuries: Breilemsubert (1406), Bréon sur Bert (1445), or Biron-Surbert (1769), reflecting linguistic and administrative transformations. The site, marked by successive confessions and conflicts of religious prerogatives, illustrates feudal and ecclesiastical dynamics in Anjou-Maine. The sources come mainly from the charters of the Roë Abbey and the parish registers of Daon.

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