Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de la Seilleraye, located in Carquefu in the Loire-Atlantique, is a building built in two major phases: the reconstruction in 1671 by the Parisian architect Delahaye for Guillaume d'Harouys, treasurer of the States of Brittany, and its completion after 1730 under the Marquis of Becdelièvre. This castle, classified as a Historic Monument in 1994 with its commons and park, embodies the legacy of a seigneury linked to influential families in Nantes, such as the Harouys and Becdelièvres, who marked Breton political life in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Prior to the Revolution, the estate belonged to the Harouys family, several of which were mayors of Nantes. Guillaume d'Harouys, sponsor of the present castle, died without a direct heir, and the estate passed to his aunt Louise, wife of Jean-Baptiste de Becdelièvre, prominent figure in the parliament of Brittany. The castle was cited by Madame de Sévigné in 1675, who in his correspondence referred to the difficulties of its construction. The interior decorations, including 18th-century panelling and 17th-century ornamental paintings rediscovered in the 1990s, testify to his artistic evolution.

In the 19th century, the castle changed hands through matrimonial alliances, passing to the families of Courtarvel and then of Solages. The park was redesigned around 1816 by Berthault, while the chapel stained glass, dating back to 1833, completed its heritage. During the Second World War, the castle was occupied by the Germans, then bought by André Jallais, before being considered a hospital — a project finally abandoned. Today, it houses private residences after a rehabilitation that preserves its historical character.

The gardens, classified with their factories, and the outbuildings transformed into houses, illustrate the contemporary adaptation of a heritage rooted in local history. The legal protections of 1994 underline its architectural and landscape value, while recalling its past role as a place of power and aristocratic life in Brittany.

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