Château de Montchevrier en Mayenne

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Origin and history

The Château de Montchevrier, located in Nuillé-sur-Vicoin in Mayenne, was an important fief with medium and low justice, dependent on the seigneury of Laval. Built in chestnut in 1542 by Guy XVII of Laval, it was the scene of prolonged conflicts, notably with the lords of Langeneil for the pre-eminence in the parish church, a dispute that broke out from 1486 to 1666. Emma de Laval had already granted in 1236 rights of use in the forest of Concise to the seigneur of Montchevrier, rights bought in 1627 by Henri de la Tremoille for 3,700 pounds.

The castle, the ordinary residence of Lancelot de Brée until his death in 1600, received letters of safeguard in 1591 for him and his subjects. As early as 1627, it was described as old, although Urbain de Montecler still described it in 1633 as surrounded by walls, ditches with living water, with drawbridge, chapel and gardens. Its ruin intensified after 1679, and in 1683 the religious service was transferred to the chapel of Langeneil. The remains gradually disappeared, leaving only traditional memories.

The estate passed into the hands of several noble families: the Bree (XIIIth–XVIth centuries), the Froullay (early XVIIth), the Monteclerc (until 1677), then the Meulne and finally the Preaulx until the Revolution. In 1794, the neighboring wood was used as a meeting place for the Chouans led by Jambe d'Argent, chief appointed in the canton. The once flourishing châtellenie was reunited with that of Langeneil in 1677, marking the end of his seigneurial autonomy.

The archives mention persistent feudal obligations, such as the 40 days of watch at the Biches-Cornues de Laval tower or the 4 books of size due to the Count of Laval in 1671. The chapel, founded in 1532 under the name of Saint John by Gilles de Brée and Claude de Feschal, illustrates the religious importance of the place. Its decline coincided with that of the castle, symbolizing the end of a seigneurial era in Mayenne.

Today, there is no visible trace of this castle that played a central role in local life, between seigneurial justice, nobiliary conflicts and commitments during Chouannery. The descriptions of the seventeenth century, although detailed, contrast with the state of rapid ruin that followed, almost completely erasing its architectural heritage.

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