Château de Montgeoffroy, Mazé-Milon, France

The Château de Montgeoffroy is an 18th century manor house located in the commune of Mazé (Maine-et-Loire), France.

In 1676, Érasme de Contades acquired the property. In 1772, the Marshal Louis Georges Érasme de Contades, governor of Alsace, decided to rebuild the château as a retirement home. He called on the Parisian architect Jean-Benoît-Vincent Barré, who worked with the local architect Simier.

The marshal being far from Anjou, the work was directed primarily by his son, le marquis de Contades, his daughter-in-law, Julie Constantin de Marans, his mistress, Hélène Hérault, and her daughter-in-law, Marie-Marguerite Magon de La Lande. It took three years. The old château was burned down, but Barré appreciated its U shape and kept two towers and the moat, as well as the chapel, which dated from 1543.

The building miraculously survived the French Revolution and the Revolt in the Vendée conserving its common buildings, agricultural structures, chapel and park. It also kept its archives and its furniture, which was studied by Pierre Verlet.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Guy B (2 years ago)
The most beautiful château we have seen on our visit this time. What makes it so special is the way the family who own it have left it with the feeling that it is still lived in and indeed it is. Our guide Daria spoke excellent English and was so well informed and kind with her time. Do not miss a visit here!

Fabien LeRoy (2 years ago)
Excellent castle with 80% of the original furniture!!!!

Wyndham Meredith (3 years ago)
Thoroughly enjoyable visit, especially the bedrooms, lovely to see an original building of this period being used in the modern day. Camille, our tour guide was so informative and helpful. Would highly recommend this as a must see.

Jurian (3 years ago)
Let me start by saying we did not visit the main building, only the gardens. Maybe our expectations were wrong, but when they charge an entrance fee we as visitors expect something exceptional. The gardens are everyting but exceptional. The animals and their cages looked very neglected.

Marie-Claire Rekkers (5 years ago)
Beautiful castle. Gardens aren't that spectacular, not many flowers etc. Toilet is free and very clean. There is also a mini farm with a few goats.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Zvonimir Hrvoj

Historic Site of the week

Church of St Donatus

The Church of St Donatus name refers to Donatus of Zadar, who began construction on this church in the 9th century and ended it on the northeastern part of the Roman forum. It is the largest Pre-Romanesque building in Croatia.

The beginning of the building of the church was placed to the second half of the 8th century, and it is supposed to have been completed in the 9th century. The Zadar bishop and diplomat Donat (8th and 9th centuries) is credited with the building of the church. He led the representations of the Dalmatian cities to Constantinople and Charles the Great, which is why this church bears slight resemblance to Charlemagne's court chapels, especially the one in Aachen, and also to the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. It belongs to the Pre-Romanesque architectural period.

The circular church, formerly domed, is 27 m high and is characterised by simplicity and technical primitivism.

Château de Montgeoffroy

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historic Site of the week

Church of St Donatus