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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Bouchardière mansion, located in Saint-Cyr-en-Bourg in the department of Maine-et-Loire, is a strong house whose origins date back to at least the thirteenth century. In 1223, the fief belonged to Pierre de Longué, who took a rent in wine for the religious of Louroux. The present building, characterized by carved elements and a defensive structure, is probably built at the end of the 13th or early 14th century by Jehan de Brézé, heir of the estate in 1302. The site, strategic at the crossroads of old roads (Saumur-Loudun and Montreuil-Fontevraud), dominates a slope offering an unobstructed view of the surroundings.

The mansion remained in the Brézé family for three centuries, until its sale in 1609, where it was described as "in ruins and decadent". In the 20th century, only a section of a south wall remains, a 14-metre quadrangular logis tower, with foothills and circular turrets. This wall preserves a corridor and staircase, testimonies of medieval distributions. The well of light east of the building, now partially obstructed, once illuminated large underground rooms, whose access has now been blocked since the collapse of 2009.

Ranked a historic monument in 2005 after its acquisition by the commune in 1998, the manor house has been subject to partial restitution since the 2010s. The south facade, decorated with sculptures, reveals three distinct levels: a ground floor dedicated to the communes, a first floor reserved for the hall of appartment, and a second floor for the private life of the lord. The successive owners since 1965 (Mr. Heron, Mr. Dufoix, then the commune) have worked to preserve it, despite its state of advanced ruin.

Excavations and studies, such as those published by Gaël Carré in 2000, highlight the architectural importance of the site, typical of the Angelian strongholds. Although the undergrounds are not accessible, visible remains, including the well and defensive elements, offer a rare glimpse of medieval seigneurial habitat in the area. The mansion thus illustrates the evolution of private fortifications between the 13th and 17th centuries, before their gradual decline.

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