Initial construction 4e quart XIIe siècle (≈ 1287)
Fortified site with mots and polygonal courtine.
Après 1471
Reconstruction of the house
Reconstruction of the house Après 1471 (≈ 1471)
Transition to a post-war residential vocation.
28 février 1995
Registration Historic Monument
Registration Historic Monument 28 février 1995 (≈ 1995)
Protection of courtesies, mottes and ditches.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Castle, as well as courtesies, mottes and ditches and countervallations (C 392 to 394, 695): inscription by order of 28 February 1995
Key figures
Information non disponible - No character cited
Sources do not mention any historical actors.
Origin and history
The Château du Vieux-Lavardin is a fortified site dating back to the 4th quarter of the 12th century. It consists of three successive mots and a polygonal courtine, characteristic of medieval fortifications. This first defensive package reflects the strategic needs of the era, marked by feudal conflicts and the need to control local territories.
In the fourth quarter of the 15th century, the castle underwent a major reconstruction, notably with the building of a house after 1471. This period corresponds to the end of the Hundred Years' War and a phase of renovation of the castles, from their purely military role to more residential functions. The elements protected today include courtesies, mottes, ditches and countervallations, testifying to this dual defensive and seigneurial vocation.
The monument has been included in the inventory of Historic Monuments since February 28, 1995, recognizing its heritage value. Located in the commune of Mézières-sous-Lavardin (Sarthe, Pays de la Loire), it illustrates the architectural evolution of castles between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Its polygonal plan and its earth structures (mottes) are typical of the Angelian and Sarthoese fortifications of that time.
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