Château de Blain
Encyclopedia
The Château de Blain is a mediaeval castle
constructed in the 13th century and heavily remodelled in the 16th. It formed part of the frontier defences of Brittany
along with the towns and castles of Vitré
, Fougères
, Châteaubriant
, Ancenis
and Clisson
. It is in the commune
of Blain
in the Loire-Atlantique
département of France.
. It has 12 towers and covers an area of 4 hectares.
, Duke of Brittany
, around 1108. The fortress passed by marriage to the Clisson
family in 1225. Following Olivier Ier de Clisson's revolt against the Duke, the castle was razed in 1260.
Olivier 1er's son, Olivier II obtained permission from the Duke to rebuild the castle. The Clissons progressively enlarged the castle during the 14th century.
In 1407, the castle became the property of the House of Rohan. Louis, duc de Rohan is buried here.
During the French Wars of Religion
, the castle was besieged and set on fire in 1591 during the fighting between the Duke of Mercœur and Jean de Montauban, the knight De Goust. It was restored by Catherine de Parthenay, who installed herself there with her children. In 1628, Henri II de Rohan having become the leader of the Protestant princes, Cardinal Richelieu ordered the dismantling of the castle which thus lost its military role.
The castle suffered further serious damage during the French Revolution
. It was pillaged and burnt, along with the Rohan family archives. It served as a barracks and later as a prison.
It passed through the hands of several proprietors, including Marie Bonaparte in 1918. These owners remodelled the north wing (known as the Logis du Roy) and the Mill Tower (la tour du moulin).
Tower with the buildings on either side form the entrance to the castle. Along with the Constable's Tower (tour du Connétable), the two towers in the south east and the monumental entance on the south facade of the logis du Roi, they date from before the 17th century. Together with the remains of the towers and the fortifications linking them, these have been classified as a monument historique
by the French Ministry of Culture.
The north wing of the logis du Roi was remodelled in the 19th century.
centre and an ancient printshop. It has been listed since 1977 as a monument historique
by the French Ministry of Culture.
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
constructed in the 13th century and heavily remodelled in the 16th. It formed part of the frontier defences of Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
along with the towns and castles of Vitré
Château de Vitré
The Château de Vitré is a medieval castle in the town of Vitré, in the Ille-et-Vilaine département of France.The first castle in Vitré was built of wood on a feudal motte around the year 1000 on the Sainte-Croix hill...
, Fougères
Fougères
Fougères is a commune and a sub-prefecture of the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany, in north-western France.-Sights:Fougères' major monument is a medieval stronghold built atop a granite ledge, which was part of the ultimately unsuccessful defence system of the Duchy of Brittany against...
, Châteaubriant
Châteaubriant
-Coat of arms:Two coats of arms are attributed :*First Pale: Blue, three gold fleurs de lys, Pales split in two by a shortened staff with a red hache....
, Ancenis
Ancenis
Ancenis is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.Now, in Région Pays de la Loire, it played a great historical role as a key location on the road to Nantes , the historical capital of Brittany...
and Clisson
Château de Clisson
The Château de Clisson is a castle in the commune of Clisson in the Loire-Atlantique département of France. It stands on the right bank of the Sèvre Nantaise.-History:...
. It is in the commune
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
of Blain
Blain, Loire-Atlantique
Blain is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France. It is twinned with the market town of Royal Wootton Bassett, England.-See also:* Château de Blain* Communes of the Loire-Atlantique department...
in the Loire-Atlantique
Loire-Atlantique
Loire-Atlantique is a department on the west coast of France named after the Loire River and the Atlantic Ocean.-History:...
département of France.
Geography
The castle stands on the side of the Canal de Nantes à BrestCanal de Nantes à Brest
The Nantes-Brest canal is a French canal which links the two cities of Nantes and Brest through inland Brittany. It was built during the 19th century and its total length is 385 km with 238 locks from coast to coast...
. It has 12 towers and covers an area of 4 hectares.
History
The first castle was constructed by order of Alan IVAlan IV, Duke of Brittany
Alan IV was Duke of Brittany, from 1084 until his abdication in 1112. He was also Count of Nantes and Count of Rennes. He was son of Hawise, Duchess of Brittany and Duke Hoel II. He was known as Alan Fergant, which in Breton means "Alan the Strong"...
, Duke of Brittany
Duke of Brittany
The Duchy of Brittany was a medieval tribal and feudal state covering the northwestern peninsula of Europe,bordered by the Alantic Ocean on the west and the English Channel to the north with less definitive borders of the Loire River to the south and Normandy to the east...
, around 1108. The fortress passed by marriage to the Clisson
Clisson
Clisson , is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique département in western France.It is situated at the confluence of the Sèvre Nantaise and the Moine southeast of Nantes ....
family in 1225. Following Olivier Ier de Clisson's revolt against the Duke, the castle was razed in 1260.
Olivier 1er's son, Olivier II obtained permission from the Duke to rebuild the castle. The Clissons progressively enlarged the castle during the 14th century.
In 1407, the castle became the property of the House of Rohan. Louis, duc de Rohan is buried here.
During the French Wars of Religion
French Wars of Religion
The French Wars of Religion is the name given to a period of civil infighting and military operations, primarily fought between French Catholics and Protestants . The conflict involved the factional disputes between the aristocratic houses of France, such as the House of Bourbon and House of Guise...
, the castle was besieged and set on fire in 1591 during the fighting between the Duke of Mercœur and Jean de Montauban, the knight De Goust. It was restored by Catherine de Parthenay, who installed herself there with her children. In 1628, Henri II de Rohan having become the leader of the Protestant princes, Cardinal Richelieu ordered the dismantling of the castle which thus lost its military role.
The castle suffered further serious damage during the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
. It was pillaged and burnt, along with the Rohan family archives. It served as a barracks and later as a prison.
It passed through the hands of several proprietors, including Marie Bonaparte in 1918. These owners remodelled the north wing (known as the Logis du Roy) and the Mill Tower (la tour du moulin).
Architecture
The South West Tower and the DrawbridgeDrawbridge
A drawbridge is a type of movable bridge typically associated with the entrance of a castle surrounded by a moat. The term is often used to describe all different types of movable bridges, like bascule bridges and lift bridges.-Castle drawbridges:...
Tower with the buildings on either side form the entrance to the castle. Along with the Constable's Tower (tour du Connétable), the two towers in the south east and the monumental entance on the south facade of the logis du Roi, they date from before the 17th century. Together with the remains of the towers and the fortifications linking them, these have been classified as a monument historique
Monument historique
A monument historique is a National Heritage Site of France. It also refers to a state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building or a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, or gardens, bridges, and other structures, because of their...
by the French Ministry of Culture.
The north wing of the logis du Roi was remodelled in the 19th century.
Today
The castle is home to a frescoFresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
centre and an ancient printshop. It has been listed since 1977 as a monument historique
Monument historique
A monument historique is a National Heritage Site of France. It also refers to a state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building or a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, or gardens, bridges, and other structures, because of their...
by the French Ministry of Culture.