PLEASE MENTION VAULOGE IN THE SUBJECT LINE

  or  * * BOOK ONLINE * *  click here

Languages:  English, Italian, Spanish
Credit cards: VISA, MasterCard, American Express
Département:  Sarthe (72)
Special Features: 

• More Info & Photos in au Château News
• A Château of the Month
• Italian & French Cooking Lessons
• Seminars and Receptions

In 1398, Jean III married Marguerite de Champagné,  Dame de Fercé, and began construction of Château de Vaulogé at the beginning of the 15th century.  The manoir exists to this day.  Between 1601 and 1622 crenelated walls were erected for its defense.  The château was transformed in the 18th century when René-Charles-Joseph de Vahais came into possession of Vaulogé.  It was 1736, and he decided upon a number of modifications including replacing the dormer windows with those in the style of the mid-18th century and  demolishing the small tower and the walls around the château and chapel.  He constructed the long avenue,  bordered by oaks and other trees,  between Fercé and the town of Noyen-sur-Sarthe.

In April of 1831, owner Henri-Jean-Baptiste de Picot, decided to close the parterre between the old castle and the chapel and make it a courtyard entrance.  He engaged the services of  Manceau Delarue, the architect of the diocese who had restored the cathedral St-Julien in Le Mans and other renown structures, and the construction of a néogothic wing began.  Together with the fifteenth century manor house, the château was now one rectangular form  -- Delarue wanted to combine the neo-medieval with the modernism of his day -- maintaining correct proportions,  standing as a testimony to 19th century troubadour style. 

Be sure to visit the 15th century mill reconstructed four centuries later and two ancient chapels.  One, la Chapelle de St-Henry, was built in the 16th century on the edge of the moat,  restored in the 19th century, and consecrated in 1832 for the celebration of marriages, baptisms and masses.  Inside the altar is a pieta damaged during the Revolution and a bell dated 1580,  both recently discovered.   The smaller chapel from the 17th century, la Chapelle de St-Roch,  sits at the edge of the Fercé-Noyen road on the path leading to the castle, and it was the object of pilgrimages until in the 19th century as Saint Roch was invoked against pestilence, epidemics, cholera,  contagions, and certain fevers.  From the year 1462, the Lord of Vaulogé had the authority to mete out justice, so you will also find a former prison on the grounds, constructed of stone, two-stories high with its original pyramid shaped slate roof. 

There is a distinctiveness about guest rooms at Château de Vaulogé. They are spacious and thoughtfully appointed, each with en suite bathrooms, and the location of several rooms in round towers makes them unique because of their curved walls.  Château de Vaulogé has been owned by two families over the centuries, each with their own dreams for the château.  Its architectural evolution has made it what it is today -- a welcoming and captivating sanctuary in one of the most appealing départements of France. 

Open from April 1 to December 19.
On the grounds: swimming pool, croquet, table tennis, badminton, trampoline, ping pong, promenades in the parc.
Vicinity:  Castles of the Loire.  Golf at one of the most beautiful courses in France (27 holes) at Sablé-Solesmes, hunting, fishing, canoeing, equestrian activities, archery. The small cities of Le Mans (auto racing) and Alençon (famous for its lace), the village of Solesmes (famous abbey and chants), Sées (notable cathedral - a location for film The Messenger ), St-Céneri-le-Gérei (a Most Beautiful Village of France) and the Parc Régional Normandie-Maine.

From Paris, 230 km to the château via A10 / A11 autoroute direction Le Mans.  Stay on autoroute just past Le Mans and exit at "Le Mans Sud" onto the N 226.  In 3.5 kilometers take the D309 in the direction of Louplande and Fercé-sur-Sarthe.  About 2 kilometers past the village of Fercé-sur-Sarthe the château is on the right.

Airport:  at Tours 

Train:   Railway Station at Le Mans (55 minutes from Paris Gare Montparnasse and 1 1/2 hours from Charles de Gaulle airport)

Michelin Map to Château