The
chapel, called Notre Dame
of Maillé or Notre
Dame of the Castle, was built
during the XVth Century and was completed in 1486 by Hardouin de Maillé,
Seigneur of Maillé.
It
replaces the little chapel of Saint Pïerre which was next to
the castle, near the southwest tower. An order of monks was then created.
In the middle of the XVIIth Century, the Duke of Luynes, Louis Charles,
because of the lack of participation by the monks, decided to transfer
it to Langeais and to replace it with a new order of nuns.
The
whole convent in the XVlIIth Century comprised about 50 people (nuns
and personnel). At that time, chrïstenings and funerals took
place in the chapel. The nuns lived in the convent until the French
Revolution. It was then sold and destroyed by the owner, who reused
these materials for other constructions.
For more than a century, the chapel served as a barn and a room where
wine was pressed, before it was repurchased by the Duke of Luynes
in 1910. lt was
restored
ïn 1986 by the parents of the present Duke, Jean d'Albert de
Luynes.
One can notice the particular form of the ceiling's framework, which
is shaped like a boat. Mass is still occasionally performed in the
chapel today.
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