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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The château de la Lorie, located in La Chapelle-sur-Oudon in Maine-et-Loire, is an emblematic building of the 17th and 18th centuries. Its central house body, flanked by pavilions with neo-medieval turrets, illustrates the early emergence of neo-Gothic taste in Anjou. Originally owned by René Le Peletier, a great provost of Anjou, he passed in 1664 to Gabriel Constantin, whose grandson, Charles Constantin, undertook in the 18th century important transformations: redesign of the facades, addition of wings in return to square, and creation of a court of honor to the west. The communes, organized around square courtyards, complement this majestic architectural ensemble.

The interior of the castle reveals sumptuous 18th century furnishings, including a vaulted vestibule, a rock salon, and especially the Salon des Marbres (1779), decorated with grey, black and red marble veneers by Italian artists. The chapel and stables, rebuilt to the north, as well as the rotunda dining room (circa 1900), decorated with panelling of Vitry-sur-Seine castle, testify to the stylistic evolutions of the monument. The gardens, restored by landscaper Edward André in the 19th century, are supported by an innovative irrigation system using the waters of l'Oudon, with a hydraulic machine and a dedicated fire guard house.

The castle was marked by major historical events: in 1795 it was the scene of an ambush of the cabbages against a republican column at the Battle of Segré, causing the death of more than a hundred soldiers. During the Second World War, he served as a hiding place for the works of the Rennes Museum of Fine Arts. Ranked a Historical Monument in 1975 (façades, roofs, chapels, gardens) and in 1979 (marble lounge), it opens its doors to the public today for summer guided tours and rental of spaces for events.

The architecture of the castle reflects the successive influences of its owners: René Le Peletier, an angeline judicial figure, and then the Constantinians, a family of danglophiles passionate about horses, who set up a model stud. The 18th century transformations, led by architect Sébastien Leysner, incorporate classical elements (distribution of rooms, rotating staircase) and innovations such as neo-medieval turrets. In the 20th century, architect Camut added the neoclassical rotunda, while Edward André redesigned the gardens in a French style, perpetuating the aesthetic and functional vocation of the estate.

Protected elements include facades, roofs, chapel, dining room and decors, as well as gardens and terraces. The castle thus illustrates the evolution of architectural tastes, hydraulic techniques, and social uses (receptions, military hiding place, cultural place) over almost four centuries. Its history, in conjunction with that of Anjou, makes it a privileged witness to the political, artistic and technical upheavals of modern and contemporary France.

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