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Origin and history

Gondin Castle is a 19th-century building located in Saint-Jean-sur-Mayenne, in the department of Mayenne, in the Pays de la Loire region. It is 4 kilometres northeast of the village, close to a wood bearing its name. In modern times, this estate was known as the Branlardière, a designation still used in the 19th century. The old cards, such as that of Hubert Jaillot or the Cassini card, mention it under that name or under the name Bois de Gondain.

The adjacent wood, covering 300 newspapers in 1671, spread over the territories of Saint-Jean-sur-Mayenne, Montflors and Sacé. Historical property of the Lord of Troussière, it housed a parker and exclusive hunting rights. In 1666, Louis de Beaumanoir declared that it was operating for 9 years, against an annual rent of 250 pounds. A major fire ravaged part of the wood in 1731, marking its forest history.

Although the present castle dates back to the 19th century, its location and name perpetuate a much older seigneurial heritage, linked to local noble families such as the Beaumanoir and the Troussière lords. The archives of the seventeenth century, especially those cited by Abbé Angot, attest to its economic and symbolic importance in the region, between farming and cynegetic privileges.

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