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Origin and history

The Château de la Sécardais, located in Mézières-sur-Couesnon en Ille-et-Vilaine, is a building built between the first quarter of the seventeenth century and the third quarter of the eighteenth century. It consists of a body of main houses, commons, and a chapel dated 1608, presenting architecture combining Gothic and classical influences. The house, designed by the Rennes architect Antoine Forestier dit le Jeune in 1758, has a Mansart roof decorated with a campanile and high stumps of chimneys. The chapel, rebuilt in 1608 but with a late gothic appearance, houses a 17th century carved frame and elements of use from the 15th and 16th centuries.

The castle was commissioned by Charles-François de la Celle, adviser to the Parliament of Brittany and husband of Bénigne de Chateaubriand, sister of the writer François-René. Construction, begun in 1756 after the demolition of the primitive mansion, was completed in 1760 at an estimated cost of 36,000 pounds. Although never completely finished, the castle often welcomed Chateaubriand, who evoked its surroundings in his Mémoires d'Outre-Tombe. The property, sold as a national property in 1794, was bought in 1795 by Bénigne de la Celle.

The chapel, dedicated to Saint Peter and consecrated in 1609, contains a altarpiece of 1610 representing the Adoration of the Magi, which includes the donors Peter III of La Celle and Françoise-Anne of Porcon. The estate, formerly under the Marquisat du Bordage, has remained in the La Celle family, Counts of Châteaubourg since 1713. The ensemble, which has been listed as a historical monument since 2004, also includes a south garden with a taluté terrace and an alley called Chateaubriand, once lined with chestnut trees.

The communes, rebuilt in the 18th century from the remains of the primitive mansion, include old stables, a pig retreat and a carpentry. The eastern 19th century building replaces stone and wooden blocks. Inside, the house has maintained an unchanged distribution since the 18th century, with panelling, muffled canvases and a wooden staircase with square balusters. The dining room, initially unwooded, was garnished with panelling around 1820-1830 by Benigne de la Celle.

The castle park, marked by Chateaubriand driveway where the writer liked to walk, extends south of the house. This aisle, now replanted with oaks, once led to a missing road. The estate, although partially unfinished (undeveloped mansard floor), illustrates the architectural and social evolution of a Breton noble house, from the wars of Religion to the Revolution. Its inscription in 2004 protects the built assembly, the chapel, the garden and historic driveway.

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