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Origin and history

Thuré Castle, located in La Bazouge-des-Alleux in Mayenne, is a building whose origins date back to at least the thirteenth century, as evidenced by the mentions Tuiré, apud Montortarium (1235) and La dame de Turé (1407). The fief, moving from Montsûrs, was an important seigneurial centre, with high court rights contested in 1460 but confirmed by notarial archives of the 15th and 16th centuries. The forest of Bourgon and lands such as the Thuré Yard were transferred to the local lords in exchange for rights of use, illustrating its economic and legal role in the region.

After the destruction of the Hundred Years' War (a reference to a castle devastated in 1458), a major reconstruction took place around 1500, giving rise to the present building. The latter consists of two bodies of building with prominent angles, a turret in corbellation, and a tower of angle, with isolated Renaissance windows. A large gallery, possibly used for Protestant preaching, and the absence of traces of ditches and the drawbridge (reported in 1670) mark its architectural evolution. The chapel of Saint Sebastian, built in the 17th century in the courtyard, also served the neighbouring chapels of Burdé and the Genderie.

Thuré's seigneury often changed hands, notably through the family of Feschal (XIIIth–XVIth centuries), who exercised feudal rights there and sealed it (15th century). In the 18th century, owners such as Carré de la Chevronnière (1778) or Louise Turpin (1792) succeeded each other. The French Revolution marked the site by an aborted looting in 1790, where the bourgeois militia of Martigné disarmed the robbers, and by the tragic death of the young Huneau, son of the concierge. The estate then became a place for agricultural experiments under Joseph Piquois (horse and sheep breeding).

The archives reveal details about feudal life: the lord named notaries, managed estates (such as the Rainière or the Bardoulière), and owned extensive lands (Thurélands, Alloyed Forest). Lower justice was redeemed from the Count of Laval, and fiefs like Monceaux or Boisgat were united at Thuré. The chapel, desecrated during the Revolution, was restored in 1853 by Mr.Daudier, 19th-century owner.

Among the notable lords, Louis de Feschal (1558), perhaps Protestant, bought the fief des Monceaux, while Jean de Feschal (1580), king's knight, bequeathed funds at Laval Hospital. The Ferron de la Ferronays family (18th century) and Louis du Pontavice des Renardières (acquisition in 1902) were among the last notable owners. The castle, partially protected since 1974 (façades, roofs, chapel), now embodies a heritage combining feudal history, religious conflicts and architectural transformations.

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