(S) The Chapel of Notre-Dame de Bongarant
Three kilometres from Sautron stands this ancient chapel, dedicated to Notre-Dame de Bongarant.
The estate of Bongarant was donated in 1038 by Count Budic and his wife Adoïs to a convent to assist in the reconstruction of the monastic church and to provide for the maintenance of the Benedictine nuns of Ronceray. The church to be rebuilt was that of Saint-Cyr and Sainte Julitte in Nantes.
It is certain that by 1383, the merger of the priories of Saint-Cyr, Sainte Marie des Moustiers and Bongarant was a fait accompli. In January 1471, the rector of Sautron, Jehan de Charrette, acknowledged holding the fief of Notre-Dame de Bongarant from the prioress of Les Moustiers.
Work was undertaken in 1863 in the old cemetery, in the sacristy, and around the present chapel. Certain remains were discovered which suggest the existence of a building dating back to the 11th century and perhaps contemporary with Count Budic. The present chapel would therefore not be the original building.
A canon of Nantes Cathedral explains as follows that ‘François, the second of that name, Duke of Brittany, had a very beautiful chapel built near the forest of Sautron in honour of the Blessed Virgin. It was dedicated and consecrated on the sixth day of June in the year 1464 by the coadjutor bishop of Rennes’. (Year 1474 according to Rector Domallain *).
For his part, the rector of Sautron, Jehan Charrette, had a house built near the chapel where the Duke could stay, as well as the pilgrims. A charter from Duke François II, dated 13 November 1469, exempts the said house from all taxes.
From these facts and accounts, the Chapel is thus a joint endeavour resulting from the close collaboration between the rector, the Duke, and the people of this region.
Description of the Chapel.
This charming chapel, with its distinctly Breton character, ranks among the beautiful shrines dedicated to the Virgin Mary in the Diocese of Nantes. The stone chosen is granite. In 1824, it was coated with a thick layer of lime, but this was removed in 1896.
The small window in the façade, the side windows with trefoil tops, and the large poly-lobed window above the main entrance are in the Gothic style.
A granite porch was added to the south-facing entrance by Father Herbert, parish priest of Sautron.
Inside, two large openings on the right and left, in the shape of pointed arches, provide access to two side chapels.
The vault with exposed beams, of which there are many in Brittany, is known as a ‘bardeaux’ vault and resembles the hull of an upturned ship.
Installation of the large stained-glass window in 1868.
In 1871, the new high altar was erected (designed by Canon Rousteau).
The ancient statue surmounting the altarpiece in the right-hand chapel is a religious artefact of the highest documentary value.
Its striking features clearly identify it as a statue of Our Lady of Mercy with the Protective Mantle. The historical circumstances surrounding its creation, and the authority of the archaeologists who have examined and studied the image of this Virgin, constitute such a body of evidence that we are certain we are looking at the ancient statue of Our Lady of Bongarant.
We have noted the devotion of Duke François II of Brittany to this chapel. In days gone by, the Feast of the Visitation, the patronal feast of the oratory, saw a huge crowd of pilgrims flock to Bongarant to pray ‘for the marvellous and innumerable miracles that take place’.
All the neighbouring parishes were represented at this festival. Even some from Nantes.
- Our local historians record the date as ‘1464’.
Source: InfoBretagne.com - Friends of the Museum (If Sautron were told to me...), M. Monti, BM.
In the 10th century, the forest stretching from Sautron to the outskirts of Nantes was a hunting ground for the Dukes of Brittany, a beautiful game reserve.
In 1038, Budic, Count of Nantes, donated a plot of land in Bois-Garant to the monastery of Saint Cyr and Sainte Julitte. He settled himself near Bois-Thoreau, where he built his first hunting lodge.
It is clear that the successive buildings on the site must have followed the vicissitudes of the history of the Duchy of Brittany, and later the Kingdom, and over the centuries reflected the various types of seigneurial architecture in use within the Duchy. One thing stands out: their defensive nature.
At a time when the return of the Normans was still a constant fear, the decision was taken here to build the structure on a hillside, right on the banks of the Gué du Rieux. Two successive dams on the Rieux, separated by a causeway leading to the residence, form two ponds that constitute an effective defence to the south. To the north, the wooded hillside is encircled by a long wall pierced by high loopholes that facilitate flanking fire.
Such a layout suggests that Count Budic’s first hunting lodge was in fact a circular motte-and-bailey*, partly surrounded by a diversion of the Rieux. On the motte, enclosed by a palisade of wooden stakes, stood a very simple, single-storey building with a hearth.
This first rustic dwelling was later succeeded, under the Dukes of the House of Cornwall, by an initial stately residence, this time built of stone. The design was still quite simple, but would evolve into a building with one, or even two storeys, featuring an external turret staircase.
When the manor house was demolished in 1836, copper coins dating from the reign of Conan I, known as ‘the Crooked’, Count of Rennes, who died in 992, were found.
It was not until the 12th century that a proper stone residence was built (sketch by Louis Phelippes-Beaulieux).
At the height of the Duchy’s power in the 15th century, under the Dukes of Montfort—including Jean V, the great builder—the residence must have evolved into a grand granite manor more befitting the magnificence of our last Dukes.
Duke François II often stayed there, surrounded by his court. It was during a hunt that he was thrown from his horse and, seriously injured, the Duke was first taken to Bois Taureau. He died on 9 September 1488 at the Château de la Gazoire in Coueron.
The Bois Taureau manor remained the property of the Duke of Brittany until 1492. From 1600 to 1828, the estate was owned by the de L’Isle family. In 1828, Louis Giroux, a merchant, purchased the estate from Pitre de l’Isle du Dreneuc. In 1836, the old farmhouse was demolished and replaced by the current building. All that remains of the old manor are ruins and a few moats.
After having been home to the Dukes of Brittany, the Bois Taureau manor house served as the residence of several mayors of Sautron: in 1847 it was Pierre Poulain des Dosdières, then the Naux family from 1881 to 1929 and from 1935 to 1944. Finally, François Baudry, mayor from 1965 to 1995.
- Castle mound: a type of fortification featuring a large circular earthwork: the mound. The summit was occupied by a strong palisade, and a watchtower completed the layout of the wooden fort.
Sources: M. Monti, Si Sautron m’était conté – BM No. 209 July 2016, Les Amis du Musée (Y. Messager and M. Monti) – Jean Tosti, Dictionnaire des noms de famille – B. Boutet, La France en héritage – Lexilogos – Dictionnaire Geneanet – Departmental Archives (xml-ph-0000@deepl.internal)
(1) The Manoir du Bois Taureau or Bois Thoreau.
In the 10th century, the forest stretching from Sautron to the outskirts of Nantes was a hunting ground for the Dukes of Brittany, a beautiful game reserve.
In 1038, Budic, Count of Nantes, donated a plot of land in Bois-Garant to the monastery of Saint Cyr and Sainte Julitte. He settled himself right next to Bois-Thoreau, where he built his first hunting lodge.
It is clear that the successive buildings on the site must have followed the vicissitudes of the history of the Duchy of Brittany, and later the Kingdom, and over the centuries reflected the various types of seigneurial architecture in use within the Duchy. One thing stands out: their defensive nature.
At a time when the return of the Normans was still a constant fear, the decision was made here to build the structure on a hillside, right on the banks of the Gué du Rieux. Two successive dams on the Rieux, separated by a causeway leading to the residence, form two ponds that constitute an effective defence to the south. To the north, the wooded hillside is encircled by a long wall pierced by high loopholes that facilitate flanking fire.
Such a layout suggests that Count Budic’s first hunting lodge was in fact a circular motte-and-bailey*, partly surrounded by a diversion of the Rieux. On the motte, enclosed by a palisade of wooden stakes, stood a very simple single-storey building with a hearth.
This first rustic dwelling was later succeeded, under the Dukes of the House of Cornwall, by an initial stately home, this time built of stone. The design was still quite simple, but would evolve into a building with one, or even two storeys, featuring an external turret staircase.
When the manor house was demolished in 1836, copper coins dating from the reign of Conan I, known as ‘the Crooked’, Count of Rennes, who died in 992, were found.
It was not until the 12th century that a proper stone residence was built (sketch by Louis Phelippes-Beaulieux).
At the height of the Duchy’s power in the 15th century, under the Dukes of Montfort—including Jean V, the great builder—the residence must have evolved into a grand granite manor more befitting the magnificence of our last Dukes.
Duke François II often stayed there, surrounded by his court. It was during a hunt that he was thrown from his horse and, seriously injured, the Duke was first taken to Bois Taureau. He died on 9 September 1488 at the Château de la Gazoire in Coueron.
The Bois Taureau manor remained the property of the Duke of Brittany until 1492. From 1600 to 1828, the estate was owned by the de L’Isle family. In 1828, Louis Giroux, a merchant, purchased the estate from Pitre de l’Isle du Dreneuc. In 1836, the old farmhouse was demolished and replaced by the current building. All that remains of the old manor are ruins and a few moats.
After having been home to the Dukes of Brittany, the Bois Taureau manor house served as the residence of several mayors of Sautron: in 1847 it was Pierre Poulain des Dosdières, then the Naux family from 1881 to 1929 and from 1935 to 1944. Finally, François Baudry, mayor from 1965 to 1995.
- Castle mound: a type of fortification featuring a large circular earthwork: the mound. The summit was occupied by a strong palisade, and a watchtower completed the layout of the wooden fort.
Sources: M. Monti, Si Sautron m’était conté – BM No. 209 July 2016, Les Amis du Musée (Y. Messager and M. Monti) – Jean Tosti, Dictionnaire des noms de famille – B. Boutet, La France en héritage – Lexilogos – Dictionnaire Geneanet – Departmental Archives (xml-ph-0000@deepl.internal) The Annals of Nantes (A Millennium in Sautron).
(5) The Manoir de la Thomasière.
The Thomasière estate is situated at the easternmost edge of the commune of Sautron, where there is solid evidence of ancient settlement: Neolithic mounds in the ‘Lande des Tertreaux’ and traces of Gallo-Roman occupation (excavations in the 19th century). This manor house may be the oldest building in Sautron.
From the 14th century onwards, the Charrette family were the lords of the manor. Guillaume Charrette lived there in 1398. A legal dispute arose between the family and the inhabitants of Sautron, who wanted the family to contribute to the fouages (a tax levied on every household, applied to the property of commoners).
However, this tax did not apply to noble houses. In 1451, the judge’s ruling recognised the nobility of the estate as well as that of its owners.
Jehan Charrette – Guillaume’s second son – served as rector of Sautron from 1469 until his death in 1489.
The building continued to evolve over the centuries. Following the classic layout of a 14th-century manor house, with two monumental fireplaces, a storey was added, featuring an external turret, then a second, until reaching its current state where several windows have been fitted, framed in Loire stone (tuffeau).
The origin of the estate’s name refers to the Thomas family, merchants from the port of Nantes. Eager to be ennobled by the Duke, they purchased extensive lands near Orvault.
The Charrette family retained La Thomasière until 1682.
The estate was sold to the Lemarié de la Garnison family, then passed into the hands of the Tertre du Bignon and Bachelier de Bercy families in 1820 and Noël Vincent in 1856. It was most recently occupied by Mr and Mrs Antonietti.
Sources:
M. Monti and Y. Messager (Si Sautron…) - C. Kerboul (Les Annales de Nantes) - InfoBretagne.com.
(7) Les Moulins L’Evêque.
In ancient times, the Cens had a wider and deeper bed. Its waters powered up to four mills in Sautron: the Vieux mill, the Noë mill, the Moret mill and the L’Evêque mills.
Heading downstream past the Arguillère bridge and the waterfall, you reach the mill pond of Les Moulins l’Evêque. Of the mill, only two small structures remain, situated beside the path leading to the Grande Noë, which formerly housed the spinning mill.
At the time, all the watermills in Sautron were under the authority of either the Bishop of Nantes or the Prioress of Bongarant. The first mill is said to have been built by Saint Felix, Bishop of Nantes in the 6th century.
In 1537, when it was destroyed by fire, it was owned by Louis d’Acigné, Bishop of Nantes. The mill remained in ruins for some twenty years.
In 1556, during the episcopate of Antoine de Créqui, finding that the ruins were of no use to him, he leased* it to Sir Jacques Poyet de Couëron. The latter restored it, cleaned the pond and began grinding grain.
In 1682, two watermills are mentioned in the deed of ennoblement for the Croix estate belonging to Monsieur Jacques Frémont: ‘two mills known as the Moulins L’Evesque, together with their pond, meadows, vineyards and gardens’.
In December 1788, the two fulling mills and their pond were leased by Sieur Valleton to Jean Godin, and a deed dated June 1789 contains a description of the taking of possession.
In 1791, they were sold, along with the Les Croix estate, by Philippe de Valleton to Simon Phelippes, a merchant in Saint-Domingue. The ruins of the mill remained the property of the descendants of the Phelippes-Beaulieux family until 1963.
Today, a residential house has been built on the site. All that remains are the reservoir and the two small square towers of the spinning mill, the remains of one of the two buildings dating from 1537, restored around 1995.
The mills, powered by a four-metre waterfall, were used by numerous industries: grain milling, papermaking, fulling (degreasing and felting of wool), tanning (processing of hides), and wool and rope spinning.
In 1537, at the time of the fire, it was used for grain milling. In 1670, it was a paper mill, confirmed in 1681. In 1724, one mill was used for paper and the second for fulling. In 1789, grain milling was the predominant activity. In 1825, Auguste Poisson set up a spinning mill there, and by 1851 hemp was being processed there, with two ‘hemp weavers’ employed. In 1853, bark-based dye was even produced there. 1855: the first steam engine was installed. It was lost in another fire in 1856, which destroyed half the mill. It was not until 1908 that a new steam engine was installed, which was dismantled in 1928.
The Moulin l’Evêque was known as ‘La Fabrique’, no doubt in memory of the spinning mill that had employed up to 60 people.
Only the grinding of wheat remained after 1856. The last miller, Pierre Bernard, died in January 1927. In 1928, Mr Phelippes-Beaulieux had the openings bricked up. This marked the end of the last mill, which slowly disappeared, eroded by water and overgrown vegetation. The millstones have vanished and all that remains is the bearing shaft to which the bucket wheel** was attached.
Notes:
- arrenter: to lease in return for an annuity.
- The wheel was enormous, with buckets 1.80 metres wide and 4 metres in diameter.
Sources:
Marjan Monti (BM 206 Oct. 2015) - Yves Messager (BM 133 Apr. 1998 and BM 192 Apr. 2012) - Les Annales de Nantes No. 248/1993 -
(8) The Manoir de la Grande Noë or Manoir de la Grande Noue.
On a plateau overlooking the Cens and the surrounding area, the manor still stands, a solid and proud quadrangular granite structure (14th–15th century).
Given its nobility, its location, and its corner watchtower, the Grande Noë would have deserved the name of a castle. It was a noble estate confirmed in ancient records concerning Messire de Beauchêne, Lord of Doussay in 1425.
A surviving example of the stately homes from the heyday of the Duchy in the 14th and 15th centuries, like most of the manor houses and estates in Sautron, it was part of the Bishop of Nantes’s estate.
In 1682, we find this description in the declaration of assets of Bishop Jean-François I de Beauvau du Rivau (episcopate from 1677 to 1717). Attached to the manor is a dairy farm comprising: dwellings, gardens, high forests, vineyards, coppice woodlands, etc.
The estate was occupied by the Beauchêne, de L’Isle, Loriot, Guérin, Mosnier, Regnaud de Boisdavida (c. 1770), Montfort, Bachelier de Bercy, Charles Gesbert and Paul Thibaud families, who were respectively mayors of Sautron from 1809 to 1830 and 1870 to 1881. In 1993, it was owned by Mme de la Roche Brochard.
Sources:
M. Monti and Y. Messager (si Sautron…) – InfoBretagne.com – C. Kerboul (Les Annales de Nantes)
(9)Le Château des Croix.
The distant origins of the Domaine des Croix:
Excavations carried out between 1852 and 1854 by Louis Phelippes-Beaulieux revealed very ancient occupation of the site where the current Château des Croix stands.
During this research, fragments of Roman pottery and tiles, as well as pieces of amphorae, were discovered in the Bésirais field located behind the Calvary of Les Croix. From these findings, Louis Phelippes-Beaulieux concluded that ‘a Roman villa and its outbuildings would have been built between the 1st and 4th centuries, then destroyed by fire in the 5th century, at the time of the fall of the Roman Empire during the barbarian invasions’.
Other large granite stones were found not far from the Arguillère ford.
The first manor house is thought to have been a separate structure from the Roman villa. Built of stone in the style typical of the 6th to 9th centuries, it may have been contemporary with the Moulins l’Evêque, whose construction is believed to date from the 6th century, the work of Saint Felix, Bishop of Nantes.
The Croix estate was known by the successive names: ‘L’Hébergement de la Noë de la Croix’, ‘Fief de la Noë de la Crox’, ‘Logis de la Croix’, ‘Pavillon de la Croix’, ‘La Croix’, and finally ‘Château des Croix’. A deed from 1682 provides a description of the manor.
Let us return to the period of the Hébergement de la Noë des Croix, which epitomises the very model of the pleasure fief established by the nobility in the service of the Duke of Brittany. From the end of the War of Succession (1341 to 1364) until the end of the Duchy in 1488, the Dukes of Montfort – under John IV, John V, François I, Pierre II and François II – modernised the ducal government, and the first owners of the Hébergement, the Chase, de Jars or Mabit families, in the 15th century, were among them.
The 19th-century Château des Croix, situated on the Route de Treillère, which has been owned by the Fremont du Bouffay family since 1676, was granted a title of nobility in 1682; the private chapel was consecrated in 1684, established as a chaplaincy in 1682 and restored in 1700. The château was sold in 1791 by Charles de Valleton to Simon Phelippes, a merchant in Saint-Domingue.
Enlarged and remodelled over the centuries, the château was once surrounded by a moat, a long charterhouse with walls of cut tuffeau stone. The château was the scene of a tragedy in 1795. The owner at the time, Mr Simon Phelippes, was murdered at the door of his drawing room before the horrified eyes of his wife by a gang of counter-revolutionary ‘réfractaires’. Deeply scarred by the event, the Phelippes family, from the very next generation, began to call themselves ‘Phelippes-Beaulieux’.
In 1880, the Château des Croix was inhabited by Madame Emmanuel Phelippes-Beaulieux, widow of the famous engraver and mother of the young Henry. The memory of the tragedy haunted this woman’s days and nights. In 1888, she abruptly decided to erase all traces of ‘the affair’ by demolishing the château from top to bottom and replacing it with a new building in the so-called Louis XIII style. This is the current château, with its turrets and intricate roofs, which rises behind the gates of its grounds.
Henry Phelippes-Beaulieux, who regretted his mother’s decision all his life, lived there until 1944. On his death, he bequeathed his property to his nephew Edmond de Bejarry. Later, the Château des Croix was acquired by the Leroux-Martin family.
Sources:
Les Annales de Nantes-G.Montfort - Infobretagne.com - M.Monti-BM no. 207 - Y.Messager-BM no. 169
(10)The Calvary of Les Croix.
A calvary consisting of three carved stone crosses stands in front of the château of the same name on the outskirts of Sautron, on the road to Treillières.
On the largest, a stylised ermine is carved, along with the date 1858. The other two resemble Christianised and stylised menhirs. They bear no inscriptions.
All three were erected by Louis Phelippes-Beaulieux, the father of the engraver Emmanuel. We are certain of this for two of them, as we find in the parish archives the record of their blessing, which states:
On 10 October 1853, a procession to the Bézirais field and the blessing of a cross carved from stone, erected by Mr Phelippes-Beaulieux, owner of the Château des Croix.
In November 1858, he had another cross erected at a place known as La Vigne des Croix to replace the old one, which was believed to have been placed there by Sir Frémont, mayor of Nantes and lord of Bouffay and Les Croix.
The parish records also mention the blessing of a cross on 23 November 1858
During the reconstruction of the château around 1885, the old chapel was demolished and its cross moved. It may have been at this time that the crosses were brought together.
This calvary was a station on the Rogation Tuesday procession.
Sources:
Marjan Monti, Writer and Member of the Société des Gens de Lettres - Bibliography: Si Sautron m’était conté…les Amis du Musée (texts by Yves Messager and Marjan Monti) - Jean Tosti, Dictionary of Surnames Bernard Boutet - France’s Heritage, Lexilogos - Geneanet Online Dictionary - Loire-Atlantique Departmental Archives.
(11)The Manoir du Fief, also known as Fief-au-Duc or Fief Rosti.
This manor house, dating from the 14th–15th centuries, is situated at the top of a gentle valley that was dammed to create a large pond. For a long time it stood in the heart of the forest, as evidenced by the cadastral name ‘Ru du Porhoët’ – stream of the forest court.
Following the Treaty of Union between Brittany and France in 1532, the Fief was occupied by just two families: the Loriots and the de L’Isles, who served as aldermen, mayors and treasurers (Jean du Fief was Paymaster to the States of Brittany in 1594), and as such were directly involved in port trade and shipbuilding (thanks to the forest); they only began cultivating their lands after the disappearance of that very forest (17th and 18th centuries).
The de L’Isle family were related to the Walsh de Serrant family through Alfred and to Hippolyte d’Achon, Lord of Jaunais and Alfred’s father-in-law, powerful lords of Brittany.
In 1884, the fiefdom passed to the Galbaud du Fort family and later to the de Gibon family.
A fine single-storey manor house with a hexagonal tower dating from the 15th century (1450?). The farmhouse next to it dates from 1759.
This property is currently privately owned.
Sources:
- Annales de Nantes-Ch.Kerboul- 2nd quarter 1993 - - Infobretagne.com.
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