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Origin and history

The Manor Les Vents is a building located in the Lion-d'Angers, in the department of Maine-et-Loire in the Pays de la Loire region. Built between the 15th and 17th centuries, it represents a typical example of the seigneurial architecture of this period, combining a main house, a stair tower, and moat surrounding an elevated platform. The site also retains traces of a partially abrased feudal motte, attesting to an earlier occupation, mentioned in 1080.

The house, dating from the 15th century, was enlarged at the beginning of the 16th century, probably under the impulse of Yves de Tinteniac, master of the hotel of Marshal de Rieux, who acquired the seigneury in 1509. A chapel, now destroyed, was still mentioned in 1878, with a flat bedside adorned with a quadrilobed window. The mansion was the scene of a violent episode on 20 October 1591, when royal soldiers were massacred there by the Leagues, illustrating the religious tensions of the time. The facades, roofs, and moat have been protected since 1972 as historical monuments.

In the 19th century, changes were made, such as the resumption of the structure or the addition of skylights, while agricultural outbuildings were built in 1823. The inlet poterne, now reduced to a tower, and the remaining moats recall the original defensive system. The mansion, the seat of an ancient fief, thus blends medieval, Renaissance and modern elements, reflecting its evolution over the centuries.

The region, marked by historical Anjou, was then a territory of powerful seigneuries, where manor houses served as administrative and residential centres for local aristocracy. These buildings played a key role in economic and social organization, often linked to farming and the management of surrounding lands. The Lion-d.

The inscription to the historical monuments in 1972 preserved the most remarkable elements of the mansion, including its facades, its schist staircase tower, and its moats. Although some parts have disappeared or been transformed, such as the chapel, the site retains significant heritage value, reflecting the architectural and political changes of Anjou between the Middle Ages and the modern era.

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