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Origin and history

Château de la Sicorie, also known as Château de la Cicorie, is a 19th-century building located 2 km northwest of Saint-Germain-le-Guillaume, on the edge of the creek of Cicoria. Although its present structure dates mainly from the 19th century, its origin dates back to a seigneurial mansion of the 15th or 16th century, as evidenced by the preserved windows of the north span. This area was a fiefdom under the jurisdiction of Mayenne and Ménil-Barré, with rights of high justice as early as 1453. At that time, it included a seigneurial house surrounded by walls, farmhouses, a pond, a mill, and rights of use in the forest of Mayenne.

Over the centuries, the castle has changed hands among several influential families. The Vaux owned it before it passed in the 17th century to the family Lefebvre de la Faluère, of which several members held posts in the Parliament of Brittany and France. In 1634, a son of Guillaume Chouet, treasurer of France and mayor of Tours, was born in the estate. In 1897, the castle was acquired by Roger Lambelin, who undertook important restoration work in a neo-Gothic style, under the direction of architect Louis Guerrier. These transformations, completed around 1900, radically altered its appearance, including the construction of an isolated work room and the renovation of the chapel.

The Saint-Louis chapel, originally old and served in the local church, is completely redesigned by Roger Lambelin. It is redone to Saint Anne and decorated with murals made by Louis Moriceau, representing golden lily flowers and plant motifs. The stained glass windows, created in 1912 by Auguste Alleaume, illustrate royal saints in a style marked by flowery borders. These artistic elements reflect the taste of the era for a neo-Gothic style inspired by the French monarchy.

The area of Sicoria, mentioned under various spellings over the centuries (La Sicourie in 1453, La Cicorye in 1669), embodies the architectural and social evolution of a medieval fief in aristocratic residence, then in bourgeois property. The archives mention his role in local life, notably through the seigneurial rights and family alliances that marked his history, such as those with the Lefebvre de la Faure, established in Mayenne and Brittany.

Historical sources, including Abbé Angot's work and the departmental archives, underline the importance of this castle as a witness to the architectural and social transformations, from the Middle Ages to the late 19th century. Its history also reflects the economic and political dynamics of the region, where families such as the Lefebvre de la Faurere played a role in the royal and local administration.

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