Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Langeneil, located in Nuillé-sur-Vicoin in the Mayenne angevine, has its origins in the early 16th century. Built around 1516 by Pierre de Mathefelon, it embodies Renaissance architecture with defensive elements such as towers, ditches and a closed courtyard of walls. The ogival openings with countercurves and armorial shields, especially those of the Mathefelon family, testify to this period. The estate was then a châtellenie erected by Guy XVII de Laval, endowed with seigneurial rights such as a gibet and tolls.

The seigneury of Langeneil, contested by the inhabitants of Laval in 1682 for its competing fairs, was a centre of local power. The castle housed a chapel founded in 1516, dedicated to Saint-Nicolas, with ecclesiastical revenues. The remains of the sixteenth century, such as the tower of the vaulted archives or the dovecotes, coexist with subsequent additions. The round chapel, rebuilt in the 18th century, preserves liturgical elements like a sacred stone sealed with a mathefelon shield.

In the 19th century, the castle passed on to the family of Préaulx, which reshaped it in a neo-Gothic style between 1908 and 1917 under the direction of architect Delarue. During the Revolution, he served as a hospital for cabbages. Since 1961, the field has been owned by an association dedicated to the accompaniment of persons with disabilities. Ranked a historic monument in 1927, it combines architectural heritage and contemporary social vocation.

The successive lords, from Mathefelon to Meulne and then to the Preaulx, marked its history. Among them, Claude de Meaulne, Marquis in the 17th century, or Marie Charlotte de Préaulx, the last heiress to have transformed the castle. The archives also mention chaplains such as Jean Pichot or René-Alexandre de Preaulx, linked to the religious life of the estate.

The architecture reflects these historical strata: the extinct polygonal tower, the two towers remain, or the old attic building. Details such as the armored cobblestones or the Latin inscriptions (Ad magnates velut ad ignem) recall his seigneurial past. The site, now protected, remains a testament to the social and political dynamics of Mayenne for five centuries.

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