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Origin and history

Sourches Castle, located in Saint-Symphorien near Le Mans, is a neoclassical building built between 1763 and 1786. It replaces a 15th century medieval castle, demolished from 1760. Sponsored by Louis II du Bouchet de Sourches, Grand Prévôt de France, it is designed by the royal architect Gabriel de Lestrade, assisted by Jean-François Pradrel, local architect. The castle is erected on an eminence, in the center of a park designed under Louis XIV by Jules Hardouin-Mansart, with a courtyard of honor surrounded by dry moats.

In 1789 the castle passed to the Marquise de Tourzel, daughter-in-law of the Marquis de Sourches, the governess of the children of France. She was involved in the flight to Varennes and imprisoned at the Temple Tower in 1792. After its extinction in 1845, the property was transferred to the family of Pérusse des Cars. During the Second World War, its cellars housed works from the Louvre, furniture from Versailles and the tapestry of Bayeux, protected by the French State.

In 1956, the 6th Duke of the Cars transformed the estate into an animal nutrition research centre for Sanders. After years of abandonment under a Japanese company in the 1980s, the castle was bought in 2001 by Foucaud's family. Since then, it has been open to the public and restored with the help of communities. The park has hosted a Conservatoire de la Pivoine since 2015, and the site hosts cultural and sporting events.

The architecture of the castle is distinguished by its sober and harmonious facade, with a central body with a square dome and wings covered with buildings. The portico body, unique in France, allows a double plan for reception rooms. The chapel presents analogies with the abbey of La Couture in Le Mans, where Pradrel also worked. The castle and its park have been listed as historical monuments since 1947, and its interiors were registered in 2022.

The castle served as a filming venue for films such as Francofonia (2015) by Alexandre Sokourov, on the works of the Louvre under the occupation, and Mademoiselle de Joncquières (2018) by Emmanuel Mouret, adaptation of a story by Diderot. These shoots highlight its historical and architectural setting, while contributing to its cultural reputation.

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