Château du Puyz en Mayenne

Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château du Puyz, located in Saint-Martin-de-Connée in Mayenne (Pays de la Loire), finds its origins in a first defensive work attested since 1240. Integrated into a Coëvron defence line with the castles of Orthe, Courtalierru, Fouletore and Mézangers, it was designed to protect the region from Anglo-Norman incursions during the Hundred Years War. The fief, mentioned under the name Puiz domain from 1417 and 1455, then included a seigneurial house, arable land, woods, and even temporary prisons for men and animals, under the shared suzerainety of Foulletorte and d'Orthe.

In the 16th century, the castle was partially rebuilt, as evidenced by the kitchens still visible today, separated from living spaces. The archives reveal lords such as G. de Puiz (cited in 1417 and 1512), as well as Jacquine du Puyz, founder in 1514 of the chapel of La Belinière. The estate extended to United Lands from the 17th century, including the fiefs of Aunay-Rond, Jousseaumerie or Chevrie, reflecting its economic and strategic importance.

The present building, renovated in the 19th century, is characterized by turrets with four cardinal points and a stained glass chapel made by the Carmelites du Mans. A century-old beech, the Fouteau du Puy (6 meters of circumference), marked on the old maps and shot down in 1845, symbolized the longevity of the place. In 1793, the castle, then uninhabited, was partially stripped of its weapons by the revolutionary municipality. The defensive remains and subsequent developments illustrate its evolution, between medieval fortress and seigneurial residence.

The castle is part of a landscape marked by the Erve valley and an upper futai, now extinct. Its history thus combines military architecture, seigneurial life and agricultural transformations, while preserving tangible traces of each era, from 16th century cuisines to 19th century additions.

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