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Morains Castle à Saumur en Maine-et-Loire

Morains Castle

    59 Rue Morains
    49400 Saumur
Private property

Timeline

Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1500
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
1460
Presumed construction
1480-1482
Marguerite d'Anjou stay
1789
Sale by the State
1863
Article in *Once a Week*
1965
Registration MH
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Facades and roofs (Cases B 539 to 541): inscription by order of 8 September 1965

Key figures

François de La Vignolle - Lord and builder Ecuyer de René d'Anjou
Marguerite d’Anjou - Queen of England He died there in 1482
M. de la Rivière - Owner Chanoine Before the Revolution
Mary Ann Hookham - Biographer of Marguerite Author in 1872
Noémie Dondel du Faouëdic - Local author Describes the castle in 1881

Origin and history

The castle of Morains, located in Saumur en Maine-et-Loire (Pays de la Loire), has its origins in the 15th century, probably built in 1460 by François de La Vignolle, local lord and former squire of René d'Anjou. This castle, also known as Dampierre Castle with reference to the former commune of Dampierre-sur-Loire, is inseparable from the history of Marguerite d'Anjou, Queen of England. After the death of her father René d'Anjou, she took refuge there in 1480 or 1481 and lived there until her death in August 1482, welcomed by François de La Vignolle, her faithful servant.

Until the Revolution, the castle belonged to a canon named M. de la Rivière, before being sold by the state and acquired by a certain Richeaudieu, then by his ally family, the De Fontenailles. The latter offered the stained-glass windows of the choir at Saint Peter's Church in Dampierre. The monument attracted the attention of historians and writers, especially British people fascinated by the tragic destiny of Marguerite d'Anjou. In 1863, the magazine Once a Week presented it in an article on French castles, followed in 1872 by the biography of the Queen illustrated by Mary Ann Hookham, including a drawing by R. Knight.

In the 19th century, the castle became a place of literary and historical pilgrimage. Noémie Dondel du Faouëdic, a local author, described him in 1881 in Impressions d'un touriste sur Saumur, evoking the silent pain of his walls that witnessed the end of Marguerite. In 1910 or 1911, American historian Anne Hollingsworth Wharton paid tribute, moved by the commemorative plaque. The castle, still privately owned, was inscribed in the historical monuments in 1965, preserving its medieval heritage and its link with one of the most poetic figures of the Deux-Roses war.

External links