Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Saint-Mars-la-Jaille found its origins in the 14th century, around 1334, when Yvon XII de La Jaille built a castle. He played a role in the wars of Religion, especially when he was taken by Pierre de la Touche, captain of Henry IV, who set up a garrison there. The site was partially destroyed by order of Henry IV around 1598, then by Richelieu in 1618. Only the dovecote, transformed into a water castle, remains from this primitive period.

In the 18th century, Father Pierre Charles Gaignard, a native of Bonnœuvre, established in 1764 the plans for a new castle for the Ferron de La Ferronnays family. The construction mobilizes the local population in the form of chores, causing tensions as evidenced by Maumusson's complaint book. The castle, damaged during the Revolution, was sold as a national property before being rebuilt by the family of La Ferronnays in the 19th century.

Between 1906 and 1914, the estate underwent major transformations: the dependencies of 1765 were restored, while the central house body, reduced and uninhabited, was demolished between 1912 and 1914 with the intention of rebuilding it, a project abandoned due to the First World War and financial constraints. 18th-century Rocaille-style panels from a Nantes hotel would have been re-assembled. The park, dating from the 18th century and owned by the family of Cossé-Brissac, is inscribed with historical monuments and labeled " Jardins de France".

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