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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Château de Lathan is an estate located in Breil (Maine-et-Loire), in the present municipality of Noyant-Villages, in the Pays de la Loire. Its history spans centuries, with architectural traces dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries, although the present castle was mainly rebuilt in the mid-19th century. The site preserves a 16th century medieval tower, a vestige of the old castle, as well as a park with factories, canals and ancillary buildings dating from the 18th century.

In 1773 an ambitious project was commissioned by the Lathan family to the Bordeaux architect Victor Louis, but only part of the park and outbuildings were carried out. The present castle was erected between 1861 and 1865 by the architect Vestier, in a classic style, at the location envisaged by the original project. The estate was then expanded with side pavilions, communes, an orangery and a dovecote, while the park was redesigned with aisles, streams and a pier.

Lathan Castle has been protected under historical monuments since 1990 (registration) and 1999 (partial classification). The classified elements include the facades, the roofs of the castle and the communes, as well as the remains of the old castle. The park, with its 50 hectares and factories, is also one of the protected elements. The estate thus illustrates the architectural and landscape evolution of a noble property, from the 17th and 18th centuries to its reconstruction in the 19th century.

The site is associated with two noble families: the Pays de Lathan, which commissioned the 18th-century developments, and the La Bouillerie family, owner during the reconstruction of the castle after 1842. These transformations reflect the architectural tastes and lifestyles of the angeline aristocracy throughout the eras.

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