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Origin and history

The Château de Lorgerie, also known as Château de l'Orgerie, is a monument located in Averton, in the department of Mayenne, in the Pays de la Loire region. Originally, it was a simple hunting event built by François d'Averton, local lord. This place, located 6 km north of the village in the forest of Pail, became a castle after expansion work. It is associated with a stream of the same name, tributary of the Old Averton, and a chapel dedicated to Saint Hubert, founded in 1637 by François d'Averton.

In 1638, Francis II of Faudoas d'Averton died there, marking the history of the place. The castle was later reported in 1797 as a den of armed robbers accused of murder in a troubled post-revolutionary context. The chapel, endowed by will in 1637, has an altar decorated with granite columns, reputed to come from the old castle of Averton, and is served by a local farmhouse, the Rouillardière.

In the 19th century, the château de Lorgerie and part of the forest of Pail became the property of François-Louis-Charles de Foucault, deputy and sub-prefect, by inheritance of his wife Marie de Soudeille. The rest of the estate, including the castle of Averton, was sold in 1812 for 380,000 francs, in a context of land speculation known as the Black Band. The current architecture includes a central building body flanked by two pavilions, one of which is connected to the chapel by a gallery.

The chapel Saint-Hubert, mentioned on the old maps as an active place of worship, had a resident chaplain, stressing its local importance. The site, marked by its seigneurial history and architectural transformations, reflects the social and political dynamics of Mayenne, between aristocratic hunting, religion and revolutionary unrest.

The castle and its chapel, although linked to the history of the lords of Averton, also illustrate the changes of the French countryside, between feudal heritage and modern upheavals. Their location in the forest of Pail, near the former town of Villepail, makes it a geographical and historical testimony of this region of the Pays de la Loire.

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