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Origin and history

The Tower of Trier is a 15th century dungeon, the main vestige of the medieval château of Chênehutte-Trèves-Cunault in Maine-et-Loire. Built by Robert Le Mason, it is distinguished by its many mâchicoulis, defensive elements characteristic of the military architecture of the time. This dungeon was initially integrated into a larger castral ensemble, now extinct.

In 1747, the castle was acquired by John II Stapleton, a Norwegian slave shipowner and planter, who began his reconstruction in 1750. Only the medieval dungeon is preserved, while a monumental staircase and vaulted rooms are added. Kitchens and prisons occupied the lower levels. The site, now reduced to the tower, was classified as Historic Monument in 1904, after a first ranking in 1862.

The Château de Trier illustrates the links between Anjou and the colonial economy of the 18th century. Stapleton's fortune, estimated at £1.14 million in 1789, came largely from his slave business in the West Indies. The tower, adjacent to Saint-Aubin Church, remains the last testimony of this complex history, mixing architectural heritage and colonial memory.

Ranked among the historical monuments of Maine-et-Loire, the Tower of Trier is subject to dual heritage protection: by list in 1862 and by decree in 1904. Its present state reflects both its original defensive function and the transformations of the eighteenth century, while posing the question of the preservation of the material traces of slave history in France.

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