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Origin and history

The Rousson mansion, located in a meander of the Sarthe 1 km from Parcé-sur-Sarthe, dates from the 15th century. It consists of a three-piece housing body per floor, flanked by a polygonal turret and a corner tower serving as a wardrobe. Defensive elements such as a creek protect the entrance, while remains (bread oven, mill) and discoveries (chapel, cellar, dovecote) testify to its past importance. A fountain fed by springs flows into the Sarthe.

Built between 1482 and 1493 according to dendrochronological studies, the structure combines residential and agricultural elements. The house and its tower, inscribed in historical monuments in 1984, preserve remarkable chimneys. The agricultural parts, redesigned in the 18th century, complete a medieval ensemble including a pool and a missing enclosure.

The mansion was mentioned as early as 1170 in the cartulare de la Couture. It passes into the hands of noble families: the Rousson (XIVth century), Champagne (XVth century), Grasmesnil (1510), then the Puy du Fou, Levis-Mirepoix (XVIIth century), and Barin de la Galissonnière (1762). Sold as demigrated property in 1794, it belonged to General Lamiraux in the 19th century, then to the Counts of Broc in the 20th century, before being ceded in 1980 to the present owners.

Geobiological research has revealed medieval infrastructures (pigeon, pool, chapel), confirming its role as a seigneurial domain. The dovecote, integrated in a posterior tower, and traces of fortifications underline its dual residential and economic use, typical of the Sarthe manors in the late Middle Ages.

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