Château de la Bourgonnière, Historical castle in Orée-d'Anjou, France

The Château de la Bourgonnière is a long, cream-coloured neoclassical building with a low dark roof, a central block with pilasters between tall windows, and flanking wings, set on a grassy rise behind a low white fence. A slate-roofed pavilion rises at the right end, and a row of small square windows runs across the upper facade. The estate also keeps a 15th-century keep with a stair turret extended into a lookout around 1900, and a 16th-century perron from the earlier castle burned during the Wars of the Vendée.

The estate's medieval fortified complex dates from the 14th and 15th centuries, with its keep built in the mid-15th century and later given a stair turret extended into a lookout around 1900. The old castle burned during the Wars in the Vendée; its 16th-century perron survives in front of the neoclassical château begun in the early 19th century. Jean Louis Bertrand de Saint-Pern, of Breton nobility, bought the domain in 1824 from M. de Grimaudet, and it has remained in his family since.

The chapel inside holds a colorful Christ sculpture from the 16th century that shows how religious art was made in the Loire Valley region. These pieces tell visitors what mattered to the families who lived here.

The estate lies in Bouzillé, within the commune nouvelle of Orée-d'Anjou in Maine-et-Loire, and remains the private property of the Saint-Pern family, who bought it in 1824. It is not open as a regular visitor attraction; access to the château, the medieval fortified complex and the chapels is by prior arrangement with the owners. The entrance is marked by a low white fence along the lawn, with the Saint Joseph chapel standing near the gate.

The grounds feature a 17th-century Protestant chapel named 'à Madame' that reflects the religious diversity of the region. Near the entrance stands another chapel built in the 19th century dedicated to Saint Joseph.