Initial construction 2e moitié XVIe siècle (≈ 1650)
Medieval transformation into Renaissance residence
1667
Sale of the domain
Sale of the domain 1667 (≈ 1667)
Passage of the Andigné to Chastelain
1793-1796 (guerre de Vendée)
Cabbage shelter
Cabbage shelter 1793-1796 (guerre de Vendée) (≈ 1795)
Augustine de Jourdan hide
1991
Registration MH
Registration MH 1991 (≈ 1991)
Protection of buildings and interiors
1994
MH classification
MH classification 1994 (≈ 1994)
Facades, roofs and courtyards
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Buildings constituting the mansion, i.e.: house bodies (inside) with buildings and towers extending it; Isolated pavilion (inside) (Box A 451): entry by order of 18 April 1991; Facades and roofs of the main house body and the isolated pavilion; plot corresponding to the right-of-way of the castle and its former courtyard of honor (cad. A 451): classification by order of 7 February 1994
Key figures
Charles François d’Andigné - Marquis de Vezins
Former owner, seller in 1667
Toussaint Chastelain - Judge-consul of Angers
Acquisition of the mansion in 1667
Augustin René de Jourdan - Head cabbage
Arrested and shot during the Vendée
Origin and history
The Mansion du Hardas is a second Renaissance civil building built in the 2nd half of the 16th century in Louvaines (Maine-et-Loire). Transformed from a medieval castle, it illustrates the artistic influence of Durtal Castle, with its four bodies of buildings flanked by circular towers. Its architectural elements – tufted skylights, spiral staircase, lantern dome – reflect the refinement of the era, while its agricultural parts, mostly from the 19th century, complete the whole.
The estate, sold in 1667 by Charles François d'Andigné (Marquis de Vezins) to Toussaint Chastelain, judge-consul d'Angers, then included land, farmhouses and wood. During the Vendée war, the mansion houses Chouans, including Augustin René de Jourdan, arrested in a cache in the attic and shot by the Republicans. These events earned him a place in local memory.
Ranked a Historic Monument (registration in 1991, ranking in 1994), the Hardas protects its facades, roofs, and interiors, including the isolated pavilion and the courtyard of honour. The materials – stoneware, tuffeau – and the covers of the 17th and 19th centuries testify to its evolution. Today, there remains a symbol of the Angelian heritage, between seigneurial history and revolutionary conflicts.
