Manoir de Fontenelle en Mayenne

Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Fontenelle Manor House, located 1,500 metres south of the village of Laigné in Mayenne, is a building that dates back to the 16th century. It is distinguished by a corner tower, a door in the middle of the hanger framed with gemini windows, and a modern pavilion decorated with Greek columns. The courtyard, once lined with moat, was accessible by a bridge flanked by two pavilions. Inside, a fireplace on the first floor features mouldings and a Louis XIV wig bust, reflecting its refined decor.

The 9-metre-long chapel was restored at the end of the 19th century, as evidenced by its ogival openings. It housed licensees such as Jean Bigotière (1723) and Jean-Baptiste Bigot, and retained an ex-voto attributed to Auguste Alleaume and a glass roof commissioned in 1901 by Alexandre Lefas. Founded in part by a village house, it played a spiritual and social role for the seigneury.

The mansion was a moving fiefdom of Laigné, marked by historical events such as the Republican refuge after the fight of 28 August 1799. A rescue notice, sewn in the hat of an ex-chouan named Guideau (the Décampe), was then sent to the commander of Château-Gontier. The successive lords, including the Guibert, Fontenelle, and Corbière families, have shaped its history since the 13th century, with matrimonial alliances and hereditary transmissions.

Among the notable lords, Guyon de Fontenelle (1289), Jeanne Laillière (1451), and René de Fontenelle (17th century) stand out. The latter, squire then knight, married Madeleine de la Grandière and was maintained in his nobility in 1666. In the 18th century, Louise-Renée-Ursule de la Corbière was a lady, before the Fléchay family became owner, perpetuating the legacy of the former lords.

The estate, which has been listed as a historical monument since July 3, 1964, illustrates the Mayan seigneurial architecture. Its defensive elements (doves, bridge) and decorative elements (sculpted route, shield) reflect its evolution between the Middle Ages and the modern era. The chapel, a place of worship and memory, preserves traces of the foundations and restorations that marked its religious and social use.

Historical sources, including Laigné's parish registers and Charles Pointeau's manuscripts, document his past. The Dictionnaire historique de la Mayenne (Angot, 1900-1910) and the Bulletin historique de la Mayenne complete these archives, offering an insight into its role in local history, between conflicts, seigneurial transmissions and community life.

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