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Origin and history

Chellé Castle, located in Hambers, Mayenne, is a major medieval site whose origins date back to at least the twelfth century. The current remains include a potentially original motte, the ruins of a 15th century ogival castle surrounded by moat, and a castral chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The estate was strategically defended by ditches and ponds, allowing to flood the surrounding area in case of siege. A 12th century doorway, considered the oldest house in the department, marked the entrance to the castle, already in ruins from the 16th century.

The Chellé site contains much older traces of occupation, with the discovery of a dense network of Gallic ways and lithic material, making it one of the oldest inhabited places in western France. A Gaulish stele, always visible in the courtyard of the castle, attests to this early occupation. Nearby, the Roman road from Le Mans to Jublains passes one kilometre south of the village. The estate, mentioned in the will of Bishop Bertrand du Mans in 616, was later attributed in the 10th century to the Abbey of Évron by the Count of Blois, before returning to lay hands before the 13th century.

In the Middle Ages, Chellé was a powerful seigneurial land, vassal of the barony of Sillé, with rights of high, medium and low justice. The lords, like Marguerite Machecher in the 15th century, built there a castral chapel and a windmill whose walls still remain. The estate also included ponds, moors (such as Mongouin, 200 newspapers), and forests used by the inhabitants for grazing and firewood, for a fee in oats. The current remains also include the ruins of a water mill and finely carved stones in the chapel.

The church of Saint Mark, partially destroyed, preserves its 12th century Romanesque choir, with a square bedside and ogival windows. A 13th-century Virgin in Tuffeau, as well as a lost stained glass representing an aureolate character, testify to her rich religious past. A chapel of Notre-Dame, founded on an unknown date, was active until the 1970s, with an annual mass on April 25. The castle, classified as a historical monument in 2010, illustrates the evolution of a seigneurial site from antiquity to modern times.

The archives mention legal conflicts, as in 1459, when the Lord of Chellé was quoted at the assizes of Le Mans for having "lifted a dead man" from his pond without calling for justice. In 1478 René d'Alençon, Duke of Alençon, confirmed the rights of inhabitants to use in the nearby forests and moors. The estate, sold in 1771 with the Rocher de Mézangers, then included lands, mills, and seigneurial rights over Hambers and its surroundings. The lords of Chellé, like Eleonor de Bouillé, Prior of Torce, bore this title until modern times.

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