Château de la Bouche d'Uzure en Mayenne

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Origin and history

The Château de la Bouge d'Uzure, located in Bouchamps-lès-Craon in Mayenne, is mentioned in the 12th century under the names of Bucha-Usure or Bucca-Usure in the cartular of the Abbey of La Roë. At that time, the seigneury was owned by a powerful family, but it lost importance in the 14th and 15th centuries, becoming a secondary possession of the Skepers. A first castle was erected around 1500, of which today a small tower remains.

In 1510, Guy de Scépeaux founded the chapel dedicated to Saint Hubert and Saint Armel, while a chapel of Saint Marguerite, served in the church, was established by the local lords. The site was the scene of a skirmish on 22 May 1592 between the royal troops besieging Craon and the leaguers led by Philippe Emmanuel de Lorraine, Duke of Mercœur, during the Wars of Religion. A mass was celebrated under an oak the next day in the Catholic camp.

The castle, which had been abandoned for centuries, was completely rebuilt in 1841 by Madame Halligon, who adjusted gardens to English. Albert Ancel, MP for the Mayenne, later made it a modern home on the four facades, overlooking the Valley of Usure. The easements (prairies, groves) and the chapel, enriched in 1615 by Charlotte de la Marzelière, testify to his architectural and religious evolution.

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