Le château du Bois-Rouaud

The origins of the château date back to the 15th century. The current building, dating from the early 20th century, is remarkable for its roof, which resembles an "ancient soldier's helmet".

The Seigneurie du Bois-Rouaud


This seigneury existed for a long time. It formed "a castellany with its annexes of Maubussons, Ville-Maurice, La Hunaudais, La Sicaudais and Vue, all fiefs extending over the parishes of Saint-Hilaire, Arthon and Chéméré".
The name Bois-Rouaud comes from Rouaud or Rouault, which may have come from Rodoald, the powerful lord of Le Pellerin, a descendant of Vikings who converted to the Catholic religion.


A feudal fortress was built on these lands in the middle of the Middle Ages. However, no remains of this medieval castle remain.

Under Louis XIII, Bois-Rouaud was a simple manor house, but a castle was built in the 18th century.
It was unfortunately burnt down during the Revolution. While the Republicans were stationed at Le Bois-Rouaud, they were attacked by Princé's royalist troops.



Count and Marquis of Juigné

The heyday of the Lords of Bois-Rouaud came late in life with Count Gustave de Juigné (1825-1900).
The Juigné family had inherited this estate from the Crux-Rochechouart family in 1755.

Gustave de Juigné joined forces with Aristide Locquet de Grandville - from Port-Saint-Père - to drain Lake Grandlieu, then owned by the Count. However, this gigantic project was soon abandoned.

As General Councillor for the canton of Bourgneuf-en-Retz, he worked to develop the region's agriculture and transport links. He actively contributed to the creation of the railway in the Pays de Retz. In fact, he donated land for the construction of the Nantes-Pornic line, as well as the line from Saint-Hilaire to Paimboeuf (which no longer operates).

Surrounded by a lake and magnificent English-style landscaped grounds, Château Bois-Rouaud stands in the middle of the estate's 3500 hectares of land.
The gardens were designed in 1865 by landscape architect Édouard André (1840-1911), then by his son René Édouard André (circa 1913).

Count Gustave de Juigné, a bachelor, bequeathed his entire estate to his nephew, the Marquis Jacques de Juigné, on his death in 1900.


20th century château

The Marquis de Juigné (1874-1951) decided to rebuild a modern château for his wife, Eulalie Schneider du Creusot.
He commissioned architect Alfred Coulomb (1838-1929) to build a new château in 1905, in the style of a large Norman cottage.

The building is remarkable for its listed roof. It is unusual in that it is asymmetrical, resembling the Prussian helmets of the 1870 war.

Inside, there are two curiosities worth highlighting:


The walls of the grand salon are covered with 18th century panelling, attributed to David d'Angers' father.
The walls of the dining room are panelled in the style of the Paris Jockey Club, which was dismantled around 1912.



The château was listed as a Historic Monument on 27 November 2001.

Did you know?
Haras du Bois-Rouaud
A member of the Paris Jockey Club and vice-president of the Société Hippique Française, the Comte de Juigné was a horseman.
In 1864 (or 1867), he created a stud farm at Le Bois-Rouaud.
It included a dressage stable, a pigsty and outbuildings for the bakery, dairy and staff accommodation.
The estate was very prosperous at the time.
Agricultural harvests were good and the Bois-Rouaud breed of cattle and horses was renowned.

He later joined forces with his friend the Prince of Arenberg (1837-1924) and set up a racing company.
Their horses were successful under shared colours (yellow and red hooped coat, black toque) and won numerous prizes.


The little extra :
Although the château is privately owned and cannot be visited, it is possible to explore the landscaped grounds during the "Rendez-vous aux jardins" at the beginning of June.