Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de la Sauvage found its roots in the 13th century, when Nicolas du Désert settled on the hillside of the left bank of the Renom with the agreement of Johan de Belledaughter. Originally modest "country house" on one floor, it is enlarged by its descendants, including Guillaume du Désert, who add a room and a guard tower. In the 15th century, it became a seigneurial house with attic, vaulted cellar, underground and oratory chapel, probably completed by a south-east wing.

In the 16th century, Charles Le Vayer, a lawyer at the Presidual of Le Mans, acquired the residence and, along with his sons François (Lieutenant General of Maine) and Pierre (Member of Parliament), undertook major works. The house is lined to reach the guard tower, and a straight wooden staircase to the Italian is created to serve the floors. The chapel is moved to form a fortified entrance tower, while communes and a decorated gate (today classified) are built in the forecourt. Wine growing is growing on the surrounding hillsides.

In the 17th century, Denis Le Vayer (member of the Paris Parliament) and his wife Élisabeth de La Rivière, after the Fronde, modernized the castle: the north-west wing is enlarged to house wine-making staff, the windows and fireplaces are remodeled in a baroque style. The ruins of the "old castle" (15th century) were removed in the 19th century, and a vast driveway bordered by trees, the "Allée du Mans", was created to link the gate to the road, before being destroyed in the 20th century. The entrance gate, dating from the 16th and 17th centuries, has been classified as a historic monument since 1928.

A 2021 judgment confirms the existence of a easement of passage for the historic access of the castle through its classified gate. The current buildings retain their 17th century appearance, and the site, private, is visited by appointment. The novel Three Generations Around a Castle (Jean-François Coué, 2025) is inspired.

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