Mayenne
Mayenne ( ) is a landlocked department in northwest France named after the river Mayenne. Mayenne is part of the administrative region of Pays de la Loire and is surrounded by the departments of Manche, Orne, Sarthe, Maine-et-Loire, and Il ...
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
It is about south of Laval, the préfecture of the department of Mayenne. Château-Gontier is home to the Refuge de l'Arche, also known as the Ark Refug a refuge for abandoned or mistreated animals.
History
There are
chalybeate
Chalybeate () waters, also known as Iron oxide, ferruginous waters, are mineral spring waters containing salts of iron.
Name
The word ''chalybeate'' is derived from the Latin word for steel, , which follows from the Ancient Greek, Greek word ...
springs close to the town. Château-Gontier owes its origin and its name to a castle erected in the first half of the 11th century by Gunther, the steward of Fulk Nerra of Anjou, on the site of a farm belonging to the monks of St Aubin d’Angers. On the extinction of the family, the lordship was assigned by
Louis XI of France
Louis XI (3 July 1423 – 30 August 1483), called "Louis the Prudent" (), was King of France from 1461 to 1483. He succeeded his father, Charles VII. Louis entered into open rebellion against his father in a short-lived revolt known as the ...
The following buildings have been listed as historical monuments:
*The ruined 13th century castle
*The 11th century church of Saint John Baptist
*The church of the Holy Trinity
*The 12th century chapel of Le Genneteil
*The 16th century chapel of Le Moulinet
*The 17th century Hôtel de Lantivy
People
*
Conan II, Duke of Brittany
Conan may refer to:
People
* Saint Conan (died 684), bishop of the Isle of Man
* Conan of Cornwall (c. 930 – c. 950), bishop of Cornwall
* Conan I of Rennes (died 992), duke of Brythonic Brittany
* Conan II, Duke of Brittany (died 1066), duke o ...
was found dead here during the Breton Norman Wars, likely the victim of poisoning.
*
Claude Pompidou
Claude Jacqueline Pompidou (née Cahour; 13 November 1912 – 3 July 2007) was the wife of President of France Georges Pompidou. She was a philanthropist and a patron of modern art, especially through the Centre Georges Pompidou.
Life before ...
was born here.
* General Emile-René Lemonnier was born and buried here.
* Louis-François Allard (1735-1819), physician and politician.
* Guy de Charnacé (1825–1909), agronomist, writer, musicologist was born here.
* Alexis Roger, French composer (1814–1846), was born here.
*
Olivier Peslier
Olivier Peslier (born 12 January 1973 in Château-Gontier) is a French thoroughbred horse racing jockey.
Peslier competes in flat racing mainly in France but travels often around the world for the big international races. From 2003 to 2014, he wa ...