Château de Bourgon: A Fifteenth-Century Fortified Château in France
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.8
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- France
- Primary era
- Medieval
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Medieval, Early Modern
- Civilizations
- French
- Site type
- Military
- Remains
- Castle
On this page8 sections
History
Château de Bourgon is a fifteenth-century fortified château in France, located at Montourtier within the commune of Montsûrs in the Mayenne department. Its principal hall and staircase belong to the fifteenth century, when the estate formed part of a seigneurial landscape shaped by fortified residences and feudal authority. Over roughly six centuries, the château changed hands only twice.
The Montecler estate
In 1406, Jean de Montecler acquired the land of Bourgon. His descendants retained it until 1577, establishing a long period of family ownership during the château’s early history.
Seventeenth-century feudal holdings
During the seventeenth century, Bourgon’s lands, fiefs, and lordship were held in feudal dependence on the Count of Laval, the Duke of Mayenne, the Lord of La Bechère, and the religious community of Fontaine-Daniel Abbey. The estate also belonged to the Montmorency family, a major French aristocratic house whose members held extensive estates and high offices during the medieval and early-modern periods.
A declaration of feudal tenure dated 20 July 1663 records Madeleine de Souvré, widow of the Marquis of Sablé, acknowledging Bourgon as a fief held from Henri I de La Trémoille, Count of Laval. The Fromagerie farm at Montourtier was dependent on Fontaine-Daniel Abbey. After the deaths of the Marquise of Sablé’s grandsons, the château passed to her niece, Anne de Souvré, Marquise of Louvois. Following her death in 1715, ownership passed to her grandson, Louis-François Anne de Neufville-Villeroy, Duke of Villeroy and Retz.
Modern ownership and protection
Alain and Isabelle Ducatillon acquired the château in 2004, and it remains privately owned. Some ancillary buildings entered the register of historic monuments in 1994. In 1996, the château, its fixed bridge, and its portal were classified as historic monuments.
Remains
Château de Bourgon is organized around a stone fifteenth-century château with a principal hall and staircase, later rooms, a chapel, and associated ancillary buildings. A fixed bridge crosses the former moat, which is now dry, and a portal forms part of the protected historic-monument ensemble.
The principal château
The principal hall and staircase are fifteenth-century constructions made of stone. Other rooms were added in later periods. The small salon may belong to the earlier château, while the later rooms contain notable eighteenth-century wood panelling. The Blue Cabinet is identified as the chamber of the Marquise of Sablé.
Chapel and approach
A chapel dated 1528 forms part of the château complex. The fixed bridge spans the former moat and provides an enduring element of the approach to the buildings. Ancillary structures and the portal complete the surviving architectural group.
Archives and collections
The château contains a library with books several centuries old and a chartrier, an estate archive preserving title deeds, feudal records, legal documents, and other historical papers. The chartrier dates back more than 600 years, providing a long documentary record associated with Bourgon.
