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Origin and history

Montgeoffroy Castle, located in Mazé in Maine-et-Loire, was rebuilt in the 18th century on the site of a former mansion. In 1676, Érasme de Contades, from a noble Angelian family, acquired the domain of the family of La Grandière. A century later, his descendant, Marshal Louis Georges Érasme de Contades, governor of Alsace and close to the court of Versailles, decided to erect a residence there for his retirement. He entrusted the plans to the Parisian architect Jean-Benoît-Vincent Barré, assisted by a local masterpiece, Simier. The work, carried out between 1772 and 1776, was supervised by the Marshal at a distance, while his son, the Marquis de Contades, settled there with his family and his relatives, including his former mistress, Hélène Hérault de Seychelles.

The architecture of the castle respects the "U" plan of the old house, preserving two towers, the moats and a 16th century chapel. Barré innovates by directing the main façade towards the park and by setting up axial lounges, an oval dining room, and a monumental staircase. The Marshal, concerned with surveillance, places his apartment near the offices, while Hélène Hérault and his daughter-in-law occupy the wing overlooking the low courts. The estate, spared by the Revolution and the wars of Vendée, preserves exceptionally its furniture (seats of Gourdin, furniture of Garnier or Roussel), its archives, and an underground passage to a nearby farm, today in ruins.

Ranked a Historic Monument in 1984, the castle of Montgeoffroy embodies neo-classical elegance and the fascist of 18th century aristocratic residences. Its park and interiors served as the setting for the TV film The Game of Love and Chance (1966). Pierre Verlet's studies of his furniture, as well as family archives, make it a rare testimony of nobility during the Ancien Régime. The chapel of 1543, the communes, and the factories of the park complete this remarkably intact complex, open to the public and still inhabited by descendants of the family of Contades.

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