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Origin and history

The château de la Groirie, located in Trrange in the current department of Sarthe ( Pays de la Loire region), has its origins between the 16th and 18th centuries. The estate was structured in the 17th century by the family of La Rivière, with a house, a chapel, a leak (pigeon), commons and gardens. A sundial, mentioned in 1652 in a poetic account by Jacques Pousset de Montauban, adorns the park. Léonor de La Rivière, a member of this lineage, regularly stays there from that date.

In the 18th century, the castle passed by inheritance to Alexandre Paul Louis François de Sanson de Lorchère. An expert of 1765 details his organization: a 104-foot house body, a 87-foot wing with kitchens and offices, and a second 154-foot wing including orangery, stables and dairy. The original chapel, dated from the 17th century, was replaced between 1730 and 1740 by the present building. The estate then reflects classical mancelle architecture, with rhythmic facades and side pavilions.

The 19th and 20th centuries saw the Groirie pass to the families of Grandval, then Bayard de La Deuxtrie. Under the latter, the castle was listed in the Supplementary Inventory of Historic Monuments on 3 May 1974. The sundial, an emblematic element, was sold in the 1990s and acquired by the departmental council of the Sarthe, which moved to the Abbey of the Epau. In 2006, the Durand family purchased the estate and undertook safeguard and enhancement work, opening some of the premises to events.

The architecture of the castle combines a body of rectangular houses flanked by pavilions, an 18th century polygonal chapel, and a traditional circular leak. The park, remodelled in the 19th century in English, incorporates lawns and irregular groves. The facades, roofs, wrought iron staircase, and some living rooms with their decor have been protected since 1974. The east wing, formerly dedicated to stables and orangery, now houses an event space contributing to the preservation of the site.

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