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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Rouessé Manor House, located in Laval in the Pays de la Loire, was built in the 11th century by Geoffroy de Rouessé, vassal of the Saint-Berthevin family. This first building, described in 1442 as surrounded by moat, walls and outbuildings (vignes, vivier, chesnaye), was rebuilt in stone in 1622 by Claude de Meulne. The seigneurial confessions of 1458 and 1648 detail the architectural and land evolution, revealing a moving fief of Saint-Berthevin, including lands such as Aligné or the Grigonnière.

During the Revolution (1789-1799), the manor house was confiscated as demigrated property, with its owner family associated with the counter-revolution. Its present style, inspired by the Renaissance and marked by steep roofs, sling windows and stone leggings, is the result of the 17th and 18th century expansions. Ranked a historical monument in 1989 (façades, roofs, moats) and partially listed in 1987, it illustrates the adaptation of a seigneurial residence in modern times.

The site was also a local economic center thanks to the exploitation of quarries of pink marble and limestone from the seventeenth century. A domestic lime oven, mentioned in 1622, was used for the construction and maintenance of the estate. In the 19th century, the Gerbault family, specialized in lime production, acquired the mansion in 1858 and installed industrial furnaces there. Alain Gerbault, famous navigator born in this line, resided there temporarily. Today integrated into the Bourny Pavilion district (1970s), the mansion houses guest rooms.

The lords of Rouessé succeeded among the influential families of Mayenne: the Wheels (XI–IIIth centuries), the Mathefelon (XIV–XVth centuries), the Meulne (XV–XVIth centuries), and the Preaulx until 1802. Joseph-François de Preaulx, last seigneur, sold the estate in 1858 to Pierre Gerbault, marking the transition to an industrial vocation. The archives also mention prehistoric artifacts (bronze axes, 1883) discovered in the careers, now preserved at the Musée des Sciences de Laval.

The Chartrier de Rouessé, analyzed by Louis Morin de La Beauluère, and the department archives of La Mayenne (B. 153, C. 35) document its history. The mansion, a private property, thus embodies almost a thousand years of local history, between seigneurial power, architectural changes and economic activity linked to the natural resources of the Laval basement.

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