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Origin and history

The manor house of Fontenay-sur-Vègre, also known as the house of Fontenay, is a seigneurial building built in the 14th and 15th centuries in the current department of Sarthe, in the Pays de la Loire region. Located west of the village of Fontenay-sur-Vègre, it dominates the valley of the Vègre and is part of the historical landscape of Maine. This house, typical of the noble houses of medieval times, was partially enlarged in the 15th century, reflecting the architectural and social evolutions of the local seigneury.

The manor house has been protected as historical monuments since 9 December 1926 for its house body, and extended on 12 December 1995 to the buildings closing the court, to the pigeon house, as well as to the retaining walls and to the court floor. These inscriptions underline its heritage importance, both for its architecture and for its role in local history. The site, which is now owned by a private company, was also used as a stage in 1997 for the film L-Homme with an iron mask, featuring actors such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Gérard Depardieu.

The house of Fontenay is part of a larger architectural complex, characteristic of the lordial manors of the Middle Ages. These residences combined defensive, residential and symbolic functions, affirming the power of the lords on their lands. The presence of a dovecote, often associated with the nobility, confirms the high status of its occupants. Although the sources do not specify the names of the lords who inhabited the place, the building bears witness to feudal dynamics and social transformations between the 14th and 15th centuries in Anjou-Maine.

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