Timeline

Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The castle of Dobert, located in Avoise in the Sarthe, finds its origins in the 15th century in the form of a mansion built in a meander of the Vègre. This manor house was thoroughly redesigned in the mid-18th century to adopt its present appearance, marked by classical architecture. The transformations include the addition of two identical wings on the garden side, narrow rectangular towers on the courtyard side, as well as sculptures and ironworks characteristic of the era. After the Revolution, the castle was restored and enriched by two long bodies of outbuildings, one of which was severely damaged by a fire in December 2019, completely destroying its roof.

The architectural history of the castle reveals several building strata. The central house, flanked by pavilions, dates back to the 16th-17th centuries, while the structure, elevations and carved decorations were reworked in the 18th century. In the 19th century, major changes were made, such as the reconstruction of the staircase (date reached 1853), the addition of a neo-Gothic chapel (ca. 1851), and the development of a landscaped garden. The communes, including an orangery, a noria, a mill and a dovecote, were mainly built before 1828, with subsequent changes. The lake, a remarkable part of the estate, was restored around 1840 and then at the beginning of the twentieth century.

In terms of heritage, the Dobert Castle received a partial inscription in the historic monuments on 24 July 1989. This protection concerns the facades and roofs of the castle and the communes, the moat, the lake with its irrigation system, as well as the planted alleys leading to the estate. Today, the castle belongs to a private company and retains traces of its different epochs, although some interior parts, such as the 18th century carpentry, have been partially altered by 19th century restorations.

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