First written entry 1413 (≈ 1413)
"Iter per quod itur de manerio domini des Pins"
vers 1495-1515
Construction of the current house
Construction of the current house vers 1495-1515 (≈ 1505)
By the Courtin family, late 15th-early 16th
1543
Mention as "The Morelier Pines"
Mention as "The Morelier Pines" 1543 (≈ 1543)
Name associated with a seigneurial family
1793
Conflict on a public road
Conflict on a public road 1793 (≈ 1793)
Owner changes route via prairie
3 février 1999
Registration for Historic Monuments
Registration for Historic Monuments 3 février 1999 (≈ 1999)
Logis, chapel and common protected
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Logis; ruins of the chapel, as well as the facades and roofs of the communes on the cadastre of 1842; plate ground of the cadastral plots on which the manor is located (cad. C 209 to 211): registration by order of 3 February 1999
Key figures
Famille Courtin - Suspected sponsors
Builders of the house around 1495-1515
Abbé Angot - Local historian (XIXe s.)
Described the ruins of the old house
Hubert Jaillot - Cartographer (XVIIe s.)
Report the mansion on a hill
Origin and history
The Pin House is a seigneurial building built between the 4th quarter of the 15th century and the 1st quarter of the 16th century (circa 1495-1515), according to the sources. It stands on a hill overlooking the Erve Valley, 1.2 km northeast of the village of Saint-Pierre-sur-Erve, in the department of Mayenne (Pays de la Loire). This fief formerly depended on Thorigné's chestnut, as attested by medieval archives mentioning "Iter per quod itur de manerio domini des Pins" from 1413.
The current house, rectangular, preserves defensive elements such as sill windows and a double murderous guard protecting the entrance and chapel. The latter, in ruins, housed a monolithic altar backed by a pinion illuminated by a window in the middle of a hanger. The commons (grange, stable) date from the 17th century, while remains in the garden evoke an earlier home, reported by Abbé Angot at the end of the 19th century. The manor house, registered as a historic monument in 1999, also includes a tower of latrines in ruins and an original wooden screw staircase.
In 1793, a local conflict was documented: the owner of the mansion removed a public road and imposed a passage through its meadow, illustrating post-revolutionary land tensions. The archives mention several historical denominations (Les Pins Morelier in 1543, castle of the Pins of Erve in the seventeenth century), reflecting its status as a seigneurial place. Today, the site belongs to a private company and retains remarkable elements such as terracotta floors and old chimneys.
The main sources come from the works of Abbé Angot (1900-1910), parish registers of Saint-Pierre-sur-Erve, and the departmental archives of Mayenne. The mansion is also referenced in the Merimée base and on the old maps (Cassini), confirming its regional heritage importance. The chapel, though ruined, and the facades of the communes (cadastre of 1842) are protected by the 1999 registration decree.
