Château des Perrais dans la Sarthe

Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château des Perrais, located in Parigne-le-Pôlin in the Sarthe, has its origins in the 15th century. He was initially linked to the family of Saint-Benoît, then passed into the hands of Broc's family in 1450 by alliance. Sébastien de Broc, at the beginning of the seventeenth century, fixed his residence there and built the wing around 1630, adorning it to a medieval tower. This first enlargement marks the beginning of the major architectural transformations of the estate.

In the 18th century, Michel-Armand de Broc, the first Marquis des Perrais, erected the main house body, giving the castle its present facade on the courtyard of honour. The structure then retains its character as a gentilhommière, with defensive elements such as conical roof turrets and small tiled windows. The architecture reflects both the medieval heritage and the stylistic evolutions of the following centuries.

At the end of the 19th century, Thibaut de Broc and his wife Berthe Worms de Romilly, a wealthy heiress, modernized the castle by adding a west pavilion and arcades bordering the court of honour, designed by architect Sanson. Landscape designer Achille Duchêne re-designs the French gardens, while the outbuildings are enlarged. During the First World War, the Marquise of Broc set up a hospital there, illustrating the adaptation of the estate to the needs of the time.

The 20th century marked a turning point for the castle: briefly occupied by the Germans in 1940, then by the Americans in 1944-45 (who set up a school for mine clearance there), it was ceded in 1946 to the bishopric. The latter transformed him into a Catholic boarding school, the Institution Saint-Michel des Perrais, aimed at forming the French elites in a distance from the cities. The establishment closed in 2015, and in 2017 the castle became a private residence after it was purchased by a Nantes veterinarian.

On the architectural level, the castle consists of three distinct parts: the east wing of the seventeenth century (28 feet long, two-sided roof), the tower of the Oratory dating from 1633, and the 18th century house body. The facades, roofs, the staircase with its cage, as well as interior rooms (dining room, library, large living room, chapel) have been listed as historical monuments since 1984. The estate thus combines medieval heritage, classicism and modern amenities.

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