The Closerie des Poiriers, a typical Mayenne peasant residence of the 18th century, will be open to the public from 2:30 pm to 7:00 pm, on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 September 2022, on the occasion of the European Heritage Days. Visitors will be able to discover the house under the same roof, the common room, the bedroom, the stable and the room where died René COTTEREAU, brother of Jean CHOUAN and last survivor of the family decimated by the Revolution. In the lodge, transformed into a museum, panels tracing the local history of this period develop numerous explanations and anecdotes. Outside, the well, the oven and the clog box will also be discovered. A film recounting the life of Jean COTTEREAU - says Jean CHOUAN -, will be screened. The volunteers of the Friends of the Museum Association will be at the disposal of the visitors to guide them in their discovery of the place.
Transformed into a museum, the closerie des Poiriers in Saint-Ouën-des-Toits, where Jean Chouan and his family lived, has been open to the public since 1989. This modest residence is today one of the rare examples of peasant Mayenne to have preserved its original aspect. Its chestnut shingle roof, restored by Jacques Boufflet, architect of French buildings, restored the building to its typical 18th century character. Arranged under the same roof, the common room, the bedroom, the stable, the room where René died - the last survivor of the family decimated by the Revolution - were remeubulated according to the customs of the time and bring to this house an indispensable note of life.
This historic site, with its outbuildings, the lodge transformed into a museum, the well and the bread oven form an exceptional ensemble.
Close to Laval, the Jean Chouan Museum, in its rural setting, offers visitors an unusual approach to the peasant world of yesteryear.