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Origin and history

The Château de Hauterive, located in Argentré in the Mayenne (Pays de la Loire), is a monument dating back to the 13th century. In 1209 Guillaume d'Hauterives admitted to holding his mansion in Savary d'Anthenaise, lord of Bazugers, with military obligations. The site, which was called accommodation in 1533, served as a refuge during the troubles, as in 1616 where valuable objects were sheltered. The castle passed from the lords of Bazugers to the family of Villiers, then to the Bellay (allied with the Hauteforts), before being sold in 1737 to Jean Baptiste Berset, negotiating Vallois.

The chapel, founded in 1508 by Thomine de Villiers, and the present castle were rebuilt at the end of the eighteenth century by Jean-Marie Berset, who became lord of Argentré. The estate, which included a maze (disappeared around 1940), a monumental well and a complex sundial, was destroyed in 1795 by Republicans. Piled and degraded after changes in owners, it was bought in 2007 by Roxanne and Patrick Matton, who undertook a major restoration with 82 local companies.

The castle includes defensive elements (douves, pregnant, remodeled turrets in the 19th century) and outbuildings such as a runaway, an 18th century pavilion, and a park with historical alleys. The tapestries of the large hall, with arms of the Hauteforts, and a statue of the Virgin erected in 1762 testify to her rich past. The chapel, with a slender campanile, housed the burials of the Fitzgerald and Montalembert families, including the actor Thibault de Montalembert, partially raised on site until 1975.

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