Château de la Rongère

En un regard

Le château en bref

At the locality known as La Rongère, in Saint-Sulpice, a commune déléguée of La Roche-Neuville south of Château-Gontier, the château overlooks the valley of the Mayenne. The site was first a motte, mentioned around 1090, which controlled a ford across the river. It then passed to the Quatrebarbes family. Between 1545 and 1571, a château replaced the former manor house. After the estate was elevated to a marquisate around 1670, Hyacinthe de Quatrebarbes had it extensively remodelled. In the nineteenth century, the Saint-Mauris family carried out major works there under the direction of the architect Jules Dussauze. The château comprises three wings around a small inner courtyard: the south wing, of five asymmetrical bays, is flanked by large pavilions built of rubblestone and tuffeau; the east wing displays a decoration of brick and stone, and the north wing is symmetrical, pierced by segmental arches. The terraced gardens, laid out at the turn of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, descend towards the river. The façades and roofs are listed as monuments historiques. The château is privately owned, but its gardens are open to the public from June to September.