Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Sablé Castle, located in Sablé-sur-Sarthe in the Sarthe department, has its origins in the 10th century with the construction of a castle by Hugues III of Maine, Count of Maine. This first building, of which only remains remains, was strategically placed between the Sarthe and the Vaige. In the 15th or 16th century, a house was rebuilt, but it would be destroyed later. The modern castle, of classical style, was entirely rebuilt in the 18th century by Jean-Baptiste Colbert de Torcy, Marquis de Sablé, between 1715 and 1750, under the direction of architect Desgots.

Over the centuries, the castle changed hands several times, passing from the Counts of Maine to the families of Craon, Anjou, then Lorraine-Guise. In the 17th century, it was acquired by the Colbert de Torcy family, which transformed it deeply. After the Revolution, it was passed on to the family of La Porte de Riantz, then to the family of Albert de Luynes in the 19th century. Between 1870 and 1875, architect Georges Lafenestre and sculptor Carrier-Belleuse brought interior embellishments, such as a marble staircase and painted decorations.

In the 20th century, the castle was used in a variety of ways: it became a field hospital during the First World War, then a chicory factory from 1919 to 1962. In 1980, it was acquired by the State and transformed into a book restoration workshop for the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BNF), known as the Joël Le Theule centre. This centre is dedicated to the preservation, digitization and restoration of ancient documents. Since 1983, the castle and its gardens have been listed or listed as historical monuments.

The architecture of the castle combines medieval elements, such as a dungeon, a tower called the Treasury, and a partially destroyed enclosure, with classic additions of the eighteenth century, such as a body of two-storey square houses and turrets with bulbs. The gardens, originally designed in the 18th century in a regular style with basin, were partially transformed into a landscaped garden in the 19th century. Today, the castle combines historical heritage and cultural mission, hosting a major centre to safeguard written heritage.

Among the notable figures related to the castle were Hugues III du Maine, founder of the castle in the 10th century, Jean-Baptiste Colbert de Torcy, who rebuilt it in the 18th century, and the Dukes of Lorraine-Guise, who owned it before its sale to the family of Laval-Bois-Dauphin in 1593. The castle was also marked by figures such as Gilles de Rais, who took part in his defence during the Hundred Years War, and the Marquise de Sablé, a famous 17th century lounger.

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