Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Champagne mansion, originally a Cistercian abbey, was founded in 1188 by Foulques Riboul, lord of Assé. The latter set up monks from Savigny Abbey, taking advantage of an isolated site but rich in water resources (ruisseaux, ponds, spring). The abbey, protected by local lords, quickly enriched with donations and owned land in about fifty parishes in Maine. The abbey church, damaged by the troops of Philip Augustus, was rebuilt and consecrated in 1261 by the Bishop of Mans, Geoffroy Freslon.

The abbey also served as a necropolis for noble families, such as the Beaumanoir, including Guy de Lavardin-Beaumanoir and his wife Jeanne d'Estouteville were buried there. From the fourteenth century its decline began, accentuated by the beginning of the sixteenth century, where noble abbots (including the Cardinal of Retz) were appointed by the king. Despite an attempt to reform in the 17th century with the adoption of the narrow Trappist observation, the abbey periclita, with only eight monks in the Revolution.

Sold as a national property in 1791, the abbey was almost entirely destroyed, except for the western and southern wings (cell, kitchens, converse room), transformed into a farm. Repurchased in 1899 by the Luzu family, who began restorations from 1981. Today, the classified remains (Western wing, front door, 18th century pavilions) house a farm-inn, perpetuating its heritage.

Architecturally, Champagne Abbey was daughter of Savigny and depended on this Cistercian descent. Among his abbots, Léonore d'Estampes de Valençay, Archbishop of Reims and Abbé de Champagne, marked his history. The remaining buildings, listed as historical monuments in 1932, illustrate its monastic and agricultural past.

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