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Origin and history

The Château du Bois du Maine, located on the south bank of the Mayenne in Rennes-en-Grenouilles, is attested from the 11th century, although its oldest parts probably date back to the 14th–15th centuries. The site, described in 1415 as "a moat-enclosed accommodation", was strengthened over the centuries, with a 17th century house body masking an older medieval structure. Its defences were based on the natural floods of the Mayenne, supplemented by cannons, a drawbridge and machicoulis on the north tower, the only clearly ancient part.

The castle played a strategic role during the Hundred Years' War: occupied by the English in 1356 during the Lancastre ride, it served as a base for controlling the region against the French who had been cut off at the Château de Lassay. His garrison, headed by Perrot Daigremont, did not evacuate until 1361 against a ransom of ECU 20 000, before resuming its looting alongside the Navarrais. The sources also mention his occupation by a certain English soldier Erneust in 1418 under Jean de Lancastre.

Successive property of the lords of Averton, of the Boulay (from the thirteenth century), then of the Raynier (XVI century), the estate was divided into Grand and Petit-Bois-de-Maine before being reunited in 1619. In the 17th century, it still retained its moat and defensive elements, despite restorations that modernized its appearance. The vaulted cellars, communicating with a submerged vault accessible by a ladder, and an old chapel in the enclosures, testify to its feudal importance.

The seigneury, qualified as a chestnut in the 18th century without having the privileges, was a mobility of the Old Averton. It included sponsorship rights on the local church and housed a 17th-century forge operated by François de la Cigoigne. In 1583 Catherine de Chauvigné, a well-known Protestant, installed a Huguenot chaplain, illustrating the religious tensions of the time. The facades and roofs were listed as historical monuments in 1967.

The building thus blends medieval remains (north tower, cellars, moats) with developments of the 16th-17th centuries, reflecting its evolution from a feudal fortress to a seigneurial residence. Its history, marked by Anglo-Navarra conflicts and architectural transformations, makes it a characteristic example of the Manoirs Mayennais, adapted to the military and social challenges of their time.

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