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Origin and history

The Château de la Chapelle-Rainsouin, originally a medieval building, was mentioned in 1455 when René de la Chapelle confessed to the Barony of Sainte-Suzanne for his "accommodation, house, run away, garden and moat". In 1472, Louis XI authorized his owner to strengthen the castle with drawbridge, pavilions and defensive towers. The site, surrounded by ditches and moats, also includes a motte and an old avenue leading to the village, where the church and remains of houses are located.

In the 17th century, the seigneury was erected in Barony of Bourg-le-Prêtre (1664) for Nicolas Le Prêtre, then in Marquisat of Bailly in 1768 for Jean-Baptiste-Joseph de Bailly, despite legal challenges. This marquisat brings together several local fiefs, including the Ramée, acquired in 1425 by John II of Alençon. The seigneurial justice is exercised by a bailiff, a tax attorney and a clerk, with a jurisdiction divided between Laval County and the Presidial of Le Mans.

The family of La Chapelle-Rainsouin, owner of the premises for centuries, has several branches such as Varennes-l'Enfant or Saint-Christophe-du-Luat. Their graves and funeral monuments, like those of Olivier de la Chapelle (1474) or Jean de la Chapelle-Troussière (circa 1545), remain in local churches. In 1884-1885, the Count of Langan had the castle rebuilt by architect Jules Reboul, giving it its current neo-gothic aspect.

The seal of the contracts of 1635 still bears the cross of the Chapel, disappeared since the sixteenth century, testifying to the old prestige of this line. The successive confessions (1455, 1681) describe a complex fortified complex, with audiences, pools and dependencies, reflecting the architectural and social evolution of the estate. Today known as the Bailly Castle, it symbolizes the aristocratic heritage and architectural transformations of the Mayenne.

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