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Heritage classified

Origin and history

The house of Clairefontaine is a manor house transformed into a farm, located on the former commune of the Old-Baugé, now integrated in Baugé-en-Anjou, in the department of Maine-et-Loire. Dating from the 13th and 15th centuries, it illustrates the medieval and Renaissance rural architecture of the region. The site is about 2 km south of Baugé, in a setting still marked by its agricultural history.

Ranked as historical monuments by order of 28 December 1984, the house is protected with the exception of modern appentis masking its facades. This classification underscores its heritage importance, although the available sources do not specify its original use or its potential historic owners. The official address referenced in the Mérimée base places it in the Old-Baugé, confirming its territorial anchor.

The region of the Pays de la Loire, and more particularly Anjou, was at that time a transitional zone between feudal influences and the beginnings of the structured rural economy. Manor houses such as Clairefontaine often served as agricultural management centres or secondary residences for local lords. Their preservation today offers a material testimony of medieval lifestyles and social hierarchies.

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