Manor of Luché dans la Sarthe

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Origin and history

The priory of Luché, founded in the 11th century, was born from the donation of Raoul V, Viscount of Maine, and his wife Emmeline de Montreveau to the Abbey of Saint-Aubin d'Angers. In 1057, they gave up the local church to establish a priory dedicated to Saint Martin. The monks erect a church and a house there, forming an active religious group with about thirty religious. The site becomes a stage for the pilgrims of Santiago de Compostela, as evidenced by the carved shells on its facades.

During the Hundred Years' War, the priory was destroyed by the English, then rebuilt at the end of the 15th century under the impulse of prior Pierre du Fay. In the seventeenth century, Henry IV attributed the priory to the Jesuits, who founded a school there. The Revolution transformed its destiny: sold as a national good in 1796, it was saved from destruction by two inhabitants, Pierre-François Lépine and René Martin, who preserved the church for worship.

In the 19th century, the Priory became the Hotel du Lion d'Or, before being bought in 1970 by Mayor M. Jaffrézic. In 1978 he obtained the inscription of his facades and roofs in the inventory of historical monuments. The house, quadrangular and made of cut stone, preserves traces of walled ogival openings and an octagonal tower with slates, witness to its medieval and religious past.

Today, the mansion of Luché embodies a rich architectural and historical heritage, linked to Anjou and Sarthe. Its history reflects the religious upheavals, conflicts and social transformations of the region, from its monastic foundation to its contemporary preservation.

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