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Castle

    1 Rue du Val d'Hyrome
    49350 Chemillé-en-Anjou
Private property
Château
Château
Château
Château
Château
Crédit photo : Llann Wé² - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1800
1900
2000
1769
Initial construction
1793-1794
Fire during the Vendée Wars
1846-1848
Transformation into troubadour style
1847
Establishment of the park
1853
Statue of King René
1980
Registration for Historic Monuments
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Façades and roofs of the castle, communes, concierge and tower in the park; entrance gate from the Palais des Marchands in Angers; former bridge over the Hyroma; the following ground floor rooms with their decoration: entrance hall, large living room, dining room, billiard room, library, chapel as well as the ceiling of the boudoir, also on the ground floor and the painted ceilings of the rooms of the first and second floors of the North and West Towers (Box D 363, 365, 367): inscription by order of 31 December 1980

Key figures

Jacques Gourreau - Owner and manufacturer Built the original home in 1769.
Rose Gourreau de Chanzeaux - Heir and sponsor Initiator of the transformation of the castle (1846-1848).
Théodore de Quatrebarbes - Husband and co-commander Participates in the renovation in troubadour style.
René Hodé - Architect Angelvin Designed the transformation of the castle in the 19th century.
Comte de Choulot - Landscape Draws the castle park around 1847.
David d’Angers - Sculptor Author of the plaster of King René (1853).

Origin and history

Chanzeaux Castle, located in Chemillé-en-Anjou (Maine-et-Loire), is an emblematic monument of the 18th and 19th centuries. It consists of a central bourgeois house flanked by two pavilions, enriched in the 19th century by four octagonal towers, neo-Gothic roofs and a false round path. Inside, there is a vestibule, a large living room, a chapel, a library housing the original plaster of the statue of King Rene by David d'Angers (1853), as well as a gallery dedicated to the Gourneau and Quatrebarbes families and the history of Anjou. The estate includes communes, a concierge and an old bridge on the Hyroma.

The original seigneurial residence, of Regency style, was built in 1769 by Jacques Gourreau on the ruins of a mansion, but it was burned in 1794 during the Vendée wars by the infernal columns, which also destroyed the church and a large part of the village. In 1846-1848, Rose Goureau de Chanzeaux and her husband Theodore de Quatrebarbes transformed the site into a troubadour-style castle, inspired by a romantic vision of the Middle Ages, with architect René Hodé. The 32-hectare park was designed by the Count of Choulot around 1847. The castle, a symbol of vendean resilience and local history, was listed as historical monuments in 1980.

The protected elements include facades, roofs, the entrance gate from the Palais des Marchands d'Angers, as well as interior rooms such as the vestibule, living room, library and chapel. The castle preserves art objects linked to the Vendée, including a chalice by Abbé Blanvillain and a procession cross of Cathelineau, recalling the uprisings of 1793. The ensemble illustrates both the architectural heritage of Angelvin and the historical upheavals of the region.

The castle of Chanzeaux thus embodies a double memory: that of a local aristocracy marked by the Vendée wars, and that of a romantic reconstruction in the 19th century, mixing family heritage and homage to Anjou. Its eclectic architecture and collections make it a unique testimony of this pivotal period between the Ancient Regime and modernity.

External links