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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Château de Verdelles, located in Poillé-sur-Vègre in the Sarthe, is a building built between 1490 and 1494, at the end of the 15th century. Originally conceived as a strong castle, it was completed in brick and stone, gradually abandoning its military appearance to adopt more refined decorative elements. Its rectangular plane is flanked by four towers of various shapes: two rectangular defensively oriented (with slots and machicoulis) and two polygonal. The stair turret, adorned with a flamboyant décor, and the medallions of the lower room inspired by Enénéide illustrate the influence of Italian decors, characteristic of the Louis XII style.

Father Lochet's 1845 description highlights his exceptional state of conservation for the time, highlighting his monumental chimneys, high roofs, and ornamental sculptures (Arabic, bas-relief, portraits). Inside, all the original chimneys are preserved, testifying to the richness of the heritage. The castle was confiscated as a national property during the French Revolution to the Le Clerc de Juigné family, without ever being returned to them, unlike their other property in Juigné.

Ranked a historic monument in 1922 and listed in 1993, the castle benefited from restoration campaigns from 1976, awarded in 2003 by the Prix des Vieilles Maisons Françaises. In 1968, he was highlighted in the show Chefs-d'oeuvre en peril by Pierre de Lagarde, alerting him to his condition. Today, its ten-hectare estate, formerly agricultural, has been reforested with 8,000 trees since 1975.

Historical sources, such as the writings of Abbé Lochet (1845) or the archaeological studies of the twentieth century (including those of Louis-Jean Lagrange in 1961), underline its architectural importance. The castle embodies the transition between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, combining defensive elements (machicoulis, round paths) and aesthetic innovations (sculpted decorations, Italian influences). Its history also reflects political upheavals, such as revolutionary confiscations, and modern efforts to preserve heritage.

The castle of Verdelles is distinguished by its unique mix of functions: discrete fortress outside, aristocratic residence inside. The medallions depicting the heroes of the Eneid in the lower room, or the flamboyant turret, reveal a desire for cultural prestige. The restoration works, carried out in annual instalments since 1976, saved a building considered one of the most beautiful examples of a Gothic mansion in the region, in the very words of Abbé Lochet.

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