Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de la Feuillé, located in the communes of Alexain and La Bigottiere (Mayenne), has its origins in the 12th century under the family of Orange (or d'Orenge), who owned it until the Revolution. This fief, sometimes called a chestnut, depended on the duchy of Mayenne. The oldest parts still visible today date from the late 16th century: two tower-shaped pavilions, with bell roofs, as well as the servitudes of the old castle, razed in 1809 after decades of abandonment and ruins.

The present castle was rebuilt in 1809 after being ransacked on 22 May 1790 by rioters of the wood of Fontaine-Daniel during the Revolution. Only the elements of the 16th century were preserved, including the two pavilions and a creek surrounding the enclosure, vestige of the old moats and ponds (one of which was removed). The chapel, built in 1754 near the farm, replaced a first religious foundation dating back to 1489, when Georges d'Orange established three weekly Masses. This place of worship was later joined to the Collège du Patis, thanks to a endowment of Guyonne d'Orange in 1599.

The family of Orange (or Orenge) deeply marked the history of the estate: its members bore the names of the Folied or Orenge until the 15th century. Among the owners of the chapel's profits were figures such as Jean Nepveu (founder of a mass in 1507), Pierre Boutier (tonted in Paris in 1583), or François Sauvage de la Martinière (last known holder in 1782). The castle, both seigneurial residence and farm, illustrates the evolution of medieval festivals in mixed estates under the Old Regime.

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