Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The seigneury of the Bois, located at Le Coudray-Macouard in the Pays de la Loire, is a fortified manor built in the 15th century, and subsequently redesigned and enlarged in the 16th century. This site includes a logis in bellows and tufa stone, with a daily screw staircase, as well as a chapel with Gothic vaults (broken crow, warheads, cul-de-four). The remains also reveal an enclosure and a square tower added in the 16th century, while a new house with commons was built in the 18th century west. The estate is part of a troglodytic network (columbier, presses, cellars), partially redesigned in the 19th century.

The manor house is part of the history of an older Comtal castle, built in 1147 for the Count of Anjou, destroyed and rebuilt before being shaved in 1824. The early chapel (XII century), which became parish church in the 17th century, preserves Romanesque elements (chapiteaux XII-XIIIe) and a bell tower rebuilt in 1776. A monumental gate erected in 1781 on the west gable was destroyed in 1954. The protections under the Historic Monuments (1991) concern the housing body, the enclosure walls, and the inner courtyard.

The successive transformations illustrate the evolution of defensive and residential needs, from the medieval fortress to the seigneurial residence of the Modern Times. The site thus combines military, religious and domestic architectures, reflecting the historical stratifications of Anjou. The 19th-century developments (neogothic entrance opening, re-use of troglodytic bases) demonstrate a desire for a romantic reinterpretation of the medieval heritage.

Approximate location (discipline of a priori satisfactory) and cadastral address (parcels A 464 to 469) confirm the territorial footprint of the domain. Although partially open to the visit, the practical information remains limited to the elements protected by the 1991 Decree, without details on the current access arrangements.

External links