A Tour of Sainte-Suzanne, Mediaeval Town

A tour of Sainte-Suzanne, mediaeval town

PAYS DE LA LOIRE EDITORIAL

The mediaeval town of Sainte-Suzanne is a little jewel part-way between Laval et Le Mans, and now one of the Most Beautiful Villages in France. Perched on its rocky outcrop, this «Pearl of Le Maine» dominates the surrounding country and amazes visitors with its uniqueness. This town in the heart of the Coëvrons-Mayenne Pays d’art et d’histoire, has a rich and diverse heritage and is set in an unspoilt natural environment which will delight lovers of country walks. In 2009, La Mayenne council renovated the logis – the classic residence inside the chateau – to form a centre for interpreting local architecture and history (the CIAP). This show- case on all types of local heritage presents and explains not only the history of the Pays d’art et d’histoire but also the many riches of the wider département of La Mayenne.

Photo credits Cover The town seen from Leaflet design the Tertre Ganne and Diabolo, studio of a detail of the main Imprim’Services front of the 17th century after DES SIGNES residence. studio Muchir Desclouds 2 © CD53/SP 2015 Contents

5 Sainte-Suzanne, mediaeval town

9 Keep and drawbridge

12 the fortifications

14 the house

16 t he interpretation centre for architecture and heritage (CIAP)

20 the mediaeval town

24 Sainte-Suzanne’s surroundings

26 Sainte-Suzanne town plan

3 1. The town and the chateau seen from the Tertre Ganne © CD53/SP

2. Aerial view of the chateau and town © Roland Gaillard

4 2 Sainte-Suzanne, medieval town

Both Sainte-Suzanne’s history and buildings are closely linked to the medieval period and especially to the late 11th century which saw Hubert II de Beaumont and his castle withstand the attacks by William the Conqueror’s soldiers. Archaeological digs undertaken in 2006 showed that the favourable position of the headland, rising sixty metres over the River Erve had encouraged the Gauls to occupy it from the 6th century BC.

An old occupation Charlemagne in the 8th century which would The Sainte-Suzanne site is known for its have come before the Romanesque keep? The medieval remains, but excavations that were mystery still has not been resolved. undertaken in 2006 at the base of the logis have shown that the site was occupied much The defeat of earlier. Traces of a dwelling (fireplace, pottery, William the Conqueror metal objects) show that it was occupied as It was certainly in the early 11th century early as the 6th century BC (Iron Age). This that the Beaumont family, viscounts of high promontory was chosen because it has Maine, built the keep that still stands today natural defences on two of its three sides. within the castle walls. It housed the seat It was clearly a symbolic prestigious place. of a manor comprising a growing town and There are several indications that the whole lands gradually cleared from the Charnie headland was surrounded by a vitrified forest. Towards the end of the century, rampart. This type of fortification is made Sainte-Suzanne was involved in the conflict by applying high heat (up to 1400°C) which between Normandy and Maine. William the binds the blocks together and gives them the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy and king of appearance of cooled lava. England, wanted to extend his possessions to the south and seize the province. Diplomacy The keep: does it date from failed and war broke out. The strongholds the time of Charlemagne? fell one by one under the Norman attack. The Romanesque keep was restored between In 1083, the Conqueror laid siege to Sainte- 2001 and 2003 and a careful archaeological Suzanne, defended by Hubert de Beaumont. record was made of the stonework. When a After the failure of the early attacks, he built survey of the ground of the monument was earthworks to make a camp for his army. made, foundations forming an angle were Traces of this fortification can still be seen discovered. Is this evidence that its orientation along the road leading to Assé-le-Béranger. was changed during its construction in the Since the Normans still had not taken the early 11th century, or are they the foundations town after three years, decided to start talks. of a wooden building at the time of Hubert de Beaumont agreed to negotiate and 5 1

peace returned. According to Orderic Vital, a it to his wife, queen Margot, who sold it in contemporary chronicler, Sainte-Suzanne had 1604 to William Fouquet de la Varenne who been victorious “because of the rocks and the was one of king Henri’s inner circle. The king thick vines that surrounded it on all sides.” rewarded him for his loyalty by making him marquis du Lude and de la Flèche. Fouquet A troubled history de la Varenne also organised first postal The conflicts between the lords of the Manor service in the kingdom. From the 17th century lessened as the king of France regained his to the Revolution, Sainte-Suzanne was a authority and enforced it on the princes and small town acting as a staging post for the their vassals. However, this authority wavered royal administration as is shown by the salt again in the 14th century, sending the kingdom warehouse, a symbol of an unpopular tax.. of France into the Hundred Years War against England. In 1425, Sainte-Suzanne was unable to withstand the English artillery and was taken. Jean de Bueil finally won it back from the English in 1439 after the betrayal by John Ferramen an English soldier. A century later, the wars of Religion again bathed the country in blood. From 1589, members of the Catholic League and supporters of Henri IV fought over the town. The ramparts of the fortress still show traces of these two conflicts since it was at this time that the machicolations, square

towers and loopholes were made. 1. Portrait of Marguerite de Valois known as «Queen Margot», preparatory sketch by François Clouet An administrative centre © Bibliothèque Nationale, th In the 16 century, the fortress belonged Cabinet des Estampes to Henri IV, who had inherited it from his grandmother, Françoise d’Alençon. He gave 2. Portrait of Henri IV in old age 6 © Musée national du château de Pau 2 7 1. Axonometric view of the keep © Joseph Mastrolorenzo

8 1 Keep and drawbridge

The medieval entrance The keep The early entrance to the castle was restored The Sainte-Suzanne keep is a typical example a few years ago. At first (12th century?), it of the Romanesque keeps in Western France, consisted of a simple passage bordered by two with its quadrangular floor plan and massive guard rooms of which only two semicircular buttresses. It has three levels each with arches remain. It is probable that the entrance a specific use: storage, reception, private was substantially remade in the early 14th quarters. Originally, there was no access to century by building a wide passage topped by the ground floor from the courtyard. The a broken arch in red sandstone. The bascule opening through which modern visitors enter draw-bridge is certainly not earlier than the the building was made in the 19th century. 15th-16th centuries, a period when the two This lower level was used for storage of food imposing buttresses were added which served and equipment and was not a living space. to both shelter the bridge’s lifting mechanism The narrow openings were to give light and and to strengthen the defence. So there were ventilation and were not used for weapons. three parts to the defensive system: gates – Access to the keep was from the first floor portcullis – bridge. This ostentatious work was using movable, probably wooden, staircases. also a means of demonstrating the power of When under attack the wooden staircase the local Lords. In the early 17th century, could be removed to make the inhabitants William Fouquet de la Varenne who had safe from the attackers. The first floor was his house built at the rear of the courtyard, the main living floor. It housed the aula or decided to abandon the medieval entrance in Great Hall where the lord received his vassals, favour of the current entrance which creates delivered justice and demonstrated his power. a beautiful prospect over the façade of the This room was lit by six recessed windows house for visitors arriving at the castle. The and had various conveniences: two latrines, medieval gatehouse then became a dwelling two sinks for washing and cooking, closets, with a bread oven. vaulted corridors formed within the thickness

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of the walls. The room on the second floor is the highest and biggest in the building. It is lit by nine recessed windows, and was probably for the private use of the lord and his family. Using a hatch hidden in the north wall, this level gave access to a room hidden within the stonework. This carefully designed room with two windows and a cupboard was difficult to reach but was protected from fires,. It was probably the “treasure room” for keeping precious objects including documents as well as jewellery. For safety reasons, this room is not open to visitors. The two fireplaces that can be seen on the west wall (cleared during restoration) seem to have been hardly used. 1. West internal elevation of the keep © CD53/SP

2. South side of the keep 10 © CD53/SP 3 4

3. Second floor of the keep, seen from the west © CD53/SP

4. The drawbridge from the west moat © CD53/SP

5. Keep, the treasure room 5 © CD53/SP 11 The fortifications

From the Middle Ages to the 18th century, Sainte-Suzanne castle retained its military use as is shown by the fortifications.

The Farinière Tower late 13th century, the defences were stren- The stone ramparts were probably built in gthened by the addition of a building slightly the 13th century. They surround the keep projecting from the rampart, to accommo- and defend its base. The Farinière Tower, in date two machicolations. The building which the north-west corner of the keep one of the encroaches on the courtyard, and the upper oldest in the castle (mid 13th century). The parts of the work, are more recent additions to curtain wall is bordered by a dry moat which building work which has continued from the extends to the house. 15th to the 20th century.

The point of the headland The entrance porch A flight of steps leads to the top of the ram- The modern entrance was built in the 17th part where you can enjoy the fine view over century and reworked in the late 18th. It is two sides of the castle and the valley of the in an area dominated by medieval architec- River Erve. On the other side of the river can ture: right, the walls that guard the keep, be seen the hill called the Tertre Ganne, and, left, a medieval tower (13th-14th century) with further on, the outskirts of the Charnie forest. machicolations. Below the castle, the Erve crosses the village of La Rivière, a bustling suburb of the town with its paper and flour mills, bark, fulling and oil mills.. The paper was used mainly to print playing cards in the 18th century. You can see a printing block held in the Musée de l’Auditoire.

The Iron Gate The east side of the rampart is interrupted by a second entrance, called a postern. In the 12th century, this was a simple passageway, 12 still to be seen in the modern gateway. In the 1 2

1. The end of the rocky outcrop and the Iron Gate © CD53/SP

2. The Farinière tower and the north wall of the keep © CD53/SP

3. The Iron Gate 3 © CD53/SP 13 The house

In 1608, William Fouquet de la Varenne, newly promoted as baron of Sainte-Suzanne, had a new castle built.

The architectural A clear layout transition from According to a 1655 description, the internal Renaissance to staircase divided the house in two: the recep- Neo-Classical styles tion rooms on the left and the bedrooms The work lasted for at least five years as can on the right. These rooms have kept their be seen from the date of 1613 carved on one fireplaces decorated in the same way as the of the dormer windows on the south side. It façade: bosses and mantel flanked by pilas- seems that only a part of the project was com- ters. The great hall on the second floor is cove- pleted. The façade facing the courtyard is typi- red by fine carpentry like the inverted hull of cal of the time of Henri IV, and the transition a ship which is currently covered by panelling between the architecture of the Renaissance installed when the building was restored. and the French Neo-Classical. The legacy of the Renaissance can be seen in the mullioned windows, the pediments over the dormer windows and the use of a mixture of classical styles of pillar (Doric at the bottom, Ionic on first floor and Corinthian on the second floor). The Neo-Classical is evident in the austere decoration and the well-lit interior (vertical sections intersected by horizontal strips). However, this severe look is softened by the porch with its rounded roof. The large south tower is reminiscent of a medieval building. A study of the building undertaken during the restoration showed that its base dated from the 15th or the 16th century but the upper parts were reconstructed in the 17th century.

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1. Guillaume Fouquet de la Varenne (private collection) © CD53/SP

2. The logis seen from the keep © CD53/SP

3. The tower of the logis seen from the postern walk 3 © CD53/SP 15 The Centre d’interpréta- tion de l’architecture et du patrimoine (CIAP)

After three years of restoration, the house reopened its doors in 2009. It now houses the Centre d’interprétation de l’architecture et du patrimoine (a multi-media centre about architecture and heritage) which presents and explains the many aspects of the heritage of the Pays d’art et d’histoire Coëvrons-Mayenne and, beyond that, the whole of the Mayenne département.

Introducing the Mayenne visitors on a trip through the fortress, the heritage medieval town and the surrounding area. The Pays d’art et d’histoire Coëvrons- An exhibition covering the natural heritage Mayenne was created in October 2005. has been set up at the other end of the Under an agreement signed with the Ministry building. The environment, geology and of Culture, it had to provide of somewhere waterways are dealt with using the tables to explain the local heritage. The Mayenne in the centre of the room. Illustrations Département, which owned the castle, of animals decorate the walls and a film decided to create a centre that would illustrates the world of horse racing through explain not only the Pays d’art et d’histoire, a presentation of the Vaiges stud. A cabinet but the whole of the Mayenne heritage. of curiosities has been set up in an adjoining This permanent exhibition includes all room. It is based on 18th century cabinets of kinds of heritage; archeological, historical curiosities and shows a herbarium and fine and architectural as well as natural and collections of insects and eggs loaned by the intangible. Temporary exhibitions are Laval Science Museum. staged regularly to supplement it. The first floor: the historical The ground floor: heritage Sainte-Suzanne and the On the first floor, an animated map with natural heritage a sound commentary explains how the Visitors enter the house through a wood area has changed. Series of photographs and glass extension. Behind the reception illustrate the map while extracts from area is a room devoted to the history of films help us visualise the life of people at Sainte-Suzanne. Portraits of Henri IV, the various times dealt with. The next two Fouquet de la Varenne and Marguerite de rooms build on the information given in Valois, characters who were deeply involved the first room. The first covers the history the town’s history, welcome visitors. In of Mayenne from prehistoric times up to the centre, multimedia terminals take the early Middle Ages. The second takes 16 1

1. CIAP, Models of mediaeval architecture © CD53/SP

2. CIAP, temporary exhibition 2014 on the glass artist Auguste Alleaume 2 © CD53/SP 17 1

the history from the Middle Ages to the 21st century. Models of three iconic buildings in the département illustrate architectural development to through the ages from Évron Abbey and the castles of Sainte- Suzanne and Lassay. The fourth room covers customs and life styles in Mayenne between the 19th century and the early 20th century.

The second floor: an area for exhibitions and events The final floor is used for temporary events such as exhibitions, conferences, concerts and plays. 1. CIAP, temporary exhibition 2009 «From hamlet to chateau» © CD53/SP

2. CIAP, temporary exhibition 2015 «Animal sculptures» © CD53/SP

3. CIAP, temporary exhibition 2014 on the glass artist Auguste Alleaume © CD53/SP

4. CIAP, audiovisual display on la Mayenne from Prehistory to the present day 18 © CD53/SP 2 3

4 19 The medieval town

The medieval town of Sainte-Suzanne was built out from the castle and surrounded by ramparts, and was directly dependant on the lord. It included craftsmen and clerics and held a market which brought profit for the lord.

The fortifications and the manor house close to the castle. The medieval town was completely They were both built between the late 15th surrounded by high walls built in the Middle century and the early 16th century, as is Ages and improved in the 16th century, shown by the polygonal turret built to house during the Wars of Religion. The curtain the staircase. In the 18th century, the manor wall did not surround all the modern village house close to the castle was the home of because extensions were made in the 19th Coutelle de la Housaye, who was President of century. The rampart crossed the modern the Court administering the salt warehouse. rue Henri IV and the Butte Verte park. Paving Other houses have been substantially altered shows the position of now vanished walls in later times, but still retain a few medieval and towers. Movement through the town features in their architecture, such as a was also different. The curtain wall had house in the rue du Grenier à sel still has the two entrances: the Porte du Guichet and remains of a trilobate window. the former Porte Murée, destroyed in 1786. The most impressive tower was in the north- An administrative centre west corner of the fortification because this In the late 16th century, Sainte-Suzanne side was not protected by the natural slope became a branch of the royal court for justice created by the River Erve. It was built in the and the salt tax. 15th or 16th century, and has openings for In order to accomplish the tasks granted firearms. The lane called the “Promenade to it, the town set up three buildings: the de la poterne” nowadays runs along the auditoire de justice (Court House), the public ramparts on the eastern side of the town and prosecutor’s house and the salt warehouse. gives good views over the river below. Below the Grande Rue, a house from the early 16th century belonged to the public prosecutor, Medieval homes the king’s representative. A description from Several houses built in the Middle Ages 1772 also mentions a prison. remain though they have been refurbished The salt warehouse was later used as a during subsequent centuries. The most dwelling but has retained its original door 20 noteworthy are the Manoir de la Butte Verte with three different locks. 1. Church of Sainte-Suzanne, Capital of the doorway © CD53/SP

22 1 2 3

So opening the building needed the presence the rationalism of that time its façade has of three dignitaries each of whom held a key. three bays, the central one projecting and All the inhabitants of Sainte-Suzanne and surmounted by a pediment. The rue de la the 26 surrounding parishes were required Cité, now renamed rue Henri IV, was made to come here for their allocation of salt in in 1824 to improve the access to the town return for the payment of the salt tax. This centre after part of the curtain wall was tax was unequally imposed on the different demolished. The houses bordering it can provinces. Brittany for example was exempt be recognised because they align with the while the province of Maine was heavily line of the road. At this time, the town went taxed which explains the black market in beyond its ramparts and grew in four main which smugglers specialised. Because the directions: the road leading to Le Mans, the salt tax was so unpopular, Sainte-Suzanne’s Montsûrs road, the Évron road and Torcé- salt warehouse was ransacked early in the Viviers-en-Charnie road. Revolution.

A church with a Renaissance porch Sainte-Suzanne church was consecrated in 1553, but largely reconstructed in 1884. However, it has kept its fine porch and its Renaissance décor. The door is flanked by two columns surmounted by composite capitals supporting an entablature.

A town hall and a new road The modern town hall was built between 1883 and 1884 in the centre of the medieval town, to replace the market halls where the fairs were held. In accordance with 23 Sainte-Suzanne’s surroundings

Around Sainte-Suzanne there are several places directly connected to the history of the town that are worth a detour.

The Village of La Rivière surmounted by wooden palisades and towers. Below the medieval town and on the banks of The camp de Beugy also known as the Camp des the river Erve, the village of La Rivière devoted Anglais, is open to the public free of charge. itself to business needed water power. There are twenty mills for flour, bark, fulling or paper The dolmen des Erves distributed over two kilometres. The oldest Dolmens are Neolithic graves which consist of dwellings date from the 15th century. From a narrow corridor and a burial chamber where this time, the manufacture of paper pulp from dead bodies were laid. The dolmen des Erves old linen or hemp cloth was a Sainte-Suzanne was built between 4700 and 4000 BC and belongs speciality. Water power worked the hammers to to the group of the earliest corridor graves, like pound cloth which had been previously rotted in the Mané-Kérioned in Carnac (Morbihan). It is a tank. In the 18th century, some of this paper was the oldest building by Man in Mayenne. The used to print playing cards as can be seen from architecture of the dolmen des Erves places the printing block in the Musée de l’Auditoire. it with the angevin type of dolmens which Today, the Grand Moulin has been completely had a wide chamber and a sunken corridor. restored and displays and explains this work so Excavations undertaken in 1983 uncovered traces closely linked to the river. of a build-up of stones around the large blocks. Dolmens were covered by a barrow of stone, The camp de Beugy the cairn. So the chamber was a dark crypt. From 1083 to 1087, William the Conqueror’s Stones from the cairn were taken away over forces besieged Sainte-Suzanne. Since he knew time, leaving only the megalithic framework. that that the town could only be taken after a The dolmen des Erves is open to the public free long siege, William set up his army in a camp and of charge on the road to Assé-le-Bérenger, not far returned to England. This camp one kilometre from the camp de Beugy. from Sainte-Suzanne, at Assé-le-Bérenger, has been remarkable preserved. Its two horseshoe- shaped curtain walls are 220 metres long and 100 metres are supported on the edge of a valley. The 24 earth banks, bordered by moats, must have been 2 3

4. Village de la Rivière, le Gohard mill 4 © CD53/SP 25 Porte du Guichet Public 1 prosecutor’s Parc rue Jean de Bueil house 2 de la Butte Verte

rue Jean de Bueil Law court Grande Rue 3

rue Henri IV Town hall Place 4 Hubert II de Beaumont rue Fouquet deChurch la Varenne l e 5 S à r ie n Bergerie e r e l G i Porch u o d Ét 10 e u le r 6 el Salt B la rue Dorée e d Warehouse e 12 ru Keep Farinière 13 Tower CHÂTEAU

rue du Four Drawbridge14

7 Iron Porte 8 Logis Gate Manor (CIAP) Murée house Chemin de la Poterne 15

26 Sainte-suzanne town plan

Porte du Guichet Public prosecutor’s Parc rue Jean de Bueil house de la Butte Verte

rue Jean de Bueil Law court Grande Rue The fortified town 1 Porte du Guichet 2 Public prosecutor’s house 3 Law court rue Henri IV 4 Town hall Town 5 Church hall Place 6 Salt Warehouse Hubert II Porte Murée de Beaumont 7 rue Fouquet deChurch la Varenne 8 Manor house l e 9 Château S à r ie n Bergerie e r e l The château G i Porch u o 11 d 10 Porch Ét e u le 11 Bergerie r el Salt B Farinière Tower la rue Dorée 12 e d 13 Keep Warehouse e ru Keep 14 Drawbridge Farinière 15 The Logis (CIAP) Tower 16 Iron Gate 9 CHÂTEAU rue du Four Drawbridge

Iron Porte Logis Gate 16 Manor (CIAP) Murée house Chemin de la Poterne « ARCHITECTURE IS FROZEN MUSIC. »

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 1749-1832

Listen to the story of Coëvrons- and history, and the quality of what Mayenne, Pays d’art et they do. From Prehistory to the d’histoire… architecture of the 21st century, these …in the company of a guide towns and regions promote their approved By the ministry of Culture. history in all its diversity. Today, a The guide will welcome you. She network of more than 180 towns and knows all the facet of Coëvrons- regions all over France offer you their Mayenne and will give you keys experience. for understanding the scale of a landscape or the history of the region Near here, as shown in its villages. The guide is Laval, Le Mans, Angers, Vitré, there to listen to you. Feel free to ask Fougères, Rennes, Nantes, Guérande, her questions. Fontenay-le-Comte and Saumur have all won the title of Villes d’art et The historical awareness d’histoire, while le Perche Sarthois, la department Vallée du Loir and le Pays du Vignoble coordinates the initiatives of Nantais enjoy the title of Pays d’art Coëvrons-Mayenne, Pays d’art et et d’histoire. d’histoire. All year round it puts on events for residents and For information and booking schoolchildren. It is available to you Pays d’art et d’histoire for any project. 1, rue Fouquet de la Varenne 53270 Sainte-Suzanne-et-Chammes Coëvrons-Mayenne belongs to the Tél : 02 43 58 13 05 ou 02 43 58 13 06 national network of Villes et Pays [email protected] d’art et d’histoire. The ministry of Culture and Centre d’Interprétation de Communication gives the title of l’Architecture et du Patrimoine Villes et Pays d’art et d’histoire to 1, rue Fouquet de la Varenne those local authorities which bring 53270 Sainte-Suzanne-et-Chammes their heritage to life. It guarantees Tél : 02 43 58 13 00 the ability of the guides, speakers www.chateaudesaintesuzanne.fr and presenters of its architecture