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Origin and history

The Priory of Luché-Pringé found its origins in the 11th century, when Raoul V, Viscount of Maine, and his wife Emmeline de Montreveau gave in 1057 the church of Luché to the monks of Saint-Aubin d'Angers Abbey. The latter founded a priory dedicated to Saint Martin, with a church and a monastic house built from 1166. The convent then had about thirty religious, and the buildings were erected side by side, depriving the church of a western facade.

During the Hundred Years' War, the priory was completely destroyed by the English. Its reconstruction was undertaken at the end of the 15th century by Prior Pierre du Fay. The house, marked by scallops on its facades, served as a stage for pilgrims going to Compostela. In the 17th century, Henri IV attributed the priory to the Jesuits, who established a school there as part of the foundation of the Royal College of La Flèche.

At the Revolution, the church and the priory were sold as national goods in 1796 to Pierre-François Lépine and René Martin, who saved them from destruction. The church was restored to worship in 1813, while the priory, passed in several hands, became the Hotel du Lion d'Or at the end of the 19th century. In 1970, Mayor Jaffrézic acquired it and in 1978 obtained the inclusion of facades and roofs in the inventory of historical monuments.

Architecturally, the priory house is a quadrangular stone building, with traces of walled ogival openings. The facade is decorated with an octagonal tower with a pyramidal slate roof, while two brick chimney stumps surmount the dot. These elements reflect medieval and Renaissance reconstructions, as well as its role in welcoming travellers.

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