BLANCHARDAIS CASTLE AND CHAPEL

THE CASTLE OF LA BLANCHARDAIS

A first castle was built in the 12th and 13th centuries at a place called "la Blanchardaye". At that time, the seigneury of Blanchardaye was different from the chatellenie of Vue.

In 1265, the Duke of Brittany Jean Ier offered the chatellenie of Vue to his eldest son Pierre. The latter exchanged it for the lands of Emma Chabot from Nogent-le-Rotrou. The lady of Rais leaving her land to her husband Girard II Chabot if their son died as an heir. The latter became a priest, the Lord of Rais thus became the new owner of the chatellenie of Vue. Over the centuries, Vue passed from the hands of the Dukes of Brittany and the Barons of Retz to those of the Lords of Blanchardaye.

During the revolts of 1793, the lord of Blanchardais, Dranguy, was forced by his peasants to go and attack Paimboeuf. Wounded, he was arrested at home the next day. Led to Nantes by the Republicans, he was shot without trial and his property placed under sequestration.

Owning a dovecote or a flight was a privilege due to feudalism. The lords then held "the right to dovecote". They thus had the fastest means of communication at the time. Indeed, the pigeon has the ability to be a great traveler with a sense of direction and he returns faithfully to his loft. La Blanchardais dovecote was built in the 14th century. About 2,600 pigeons could take refuge there to lay and brood without being bothered by bad weather.

THE CHAPEL OF LA BLANCHARDAIS

There have been several chapels over the centuries. The first two chapels were attached to the Blanchardais's Castle as can be seen from the land register of 1836. In 1781, a second chapel à la Blanchardais had to be rebuilt because we find an extract of the blessing of this new chapel on the parish register of baptisms, marriages and deaths. It was a private chapel, built by and for a family. The building has a mortuary crypt. The chapel is open during European Heritage Days.