Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Girouardière mansion, located in Poison in the department of Mayenne, is a building whose origins date back to at least the fourteenth century. It was owned by the Hardouin family as early as 1360, which rebuilt it in the 17th century before abandoning it to farmers in the 18th century. The current house dates from 1525 and the end of the 16th century, accompanied by a chapel and related buildings.

The Girouardière land was a fief dependent on the Aunay. The Hardouins, the lords of the place, were illustrated by their nobility and marriage alliances, as evidenced by the numerous marriage contracts and wills preserved. In the 18th century, the family, entitled Marquis and Counts, gradually left the mansion to settle in Souligné-sous-Ballon and Chantenay-Villedieu. Anne de La Girouardière, born in 1740, later founded the Baugé Incurables Hospice.

The mansion retained notable architectural elements, such as a marble bas-relief in the chapel, representing the Transeat a me calix isle, observed in 1791. The archives also refer to fief statements, power of attorneys and family burials, illustrating the social and religious importance of the place. The Hardouin family, present until the Revolution, left a lasting imprint in the region, notably through its possessions and alliances with other noble families.

Among the notable lords were Guillaume Hardouin, married in 1525, or René de Hardouin, born in 1660, whose descendants partially emigrated during the Revolution. The last notable heir, Armand-René-François de Hardouin, who died in 1782, had four sons, one of whom became mayor of Souligné-sous-Ballon in 1821. The mansion, classified in 2002, remains a testimony to this seigneurial and architectural history.

Historical sources, such as parish registers and the department archives of Mayenne, confirm the local anchoring of the Hardouin family. Their coat of arms, silver with the fascice of Gules, and their possessions, including the Château du Pin de Préaux, underline their regional influence. The manor house, now protected, perpetuates this heritage through its medieval and modern structures.

External links