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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Château de l'Escoublère, also known as Ecoublère, is a 16th century Renaissance castle located in Daon, Mayenne, 2 km northeast of the village. Its origin dates back to the seigneury of the Escoublère, mentioned in 1619, and its estate is detailed in 1664, including a manor house surrounded by moat, a drawbridge, gardens, orchards, vineyards, meadows, woods, as well as several farmhouses and fences. This fief was the vassal of Daon, and its history is intimately linked to the family of Salles, who owned it for centuries.

The building of the present castle dates back to the years 1530-1535, with defensive reinforcements added between 1560 and 1570, a period marked by religious unrest in Anjou. Jean de Salles, who remained a Catholic, reinforced the manor's defences against the Protestant threat, as evidenced by the inscription engraved on the well in 1570: "In te, Domine, speravi, non confindar in aeternum!" The castle thus became a symbol of Catholic resistance in a region agitated by the conflicts between Huguenots and Catholics.

In the 17th century, the castle was the scene of events related to the caulianry. In 1795, Jean Coquereau, chief caulian, made it his headquarters before being killed there on 29 June of the same year. An inscription on the intrados of the chestnut commemorates this episode, quoting the names of his lieutenants and companions in arms. The castle, with its remarkable well, was declared a historic monument on 27 April 1927.

The architecture of the castle reflects its dual use, residential and defensive. It includes a house body flanked by corner towers and a chestnut, with a stone bridge replacing the old drawbridge. The inner courtyard well, adorned with composite capital columns and a Latin inscription, is considered an art work. The moat, still in water, and bell-shaped roofs surmounted by lanterns add to its imposing character.

The seigneury of the Escoublere passed into the hands of several generations of the family of Halls, then of the families of the Guesclin and Beynaguet, before being sold in 1842 to Romain Le Motheux. Among the notable lords, Jean de Salles, builder of the castle, and Claude de Salles, killed in 1622, marked the history of the estate. The castle was also linked to religious figures, such as the Abbé de Scépeaux, the last owner before its transmission to the family of Aurelle de Champetière.

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