Château de Bressuire
Encyclopedia
The Château de Bressuire is a ruined castle in the town of Bressuire
in the Deux-Sèvres
département of France.
The site has been inhabited continuously since the Celtic epoch. The present castle, most probably founded at the turn of the 10th and 11th centuries by the Beaumont family, occupies a considerable area on the rounded extremity of a plateau. With its strong position, it played a leading military role in the battles in Poitou
between the kings of England and France over three centuries.
The castle is first documented in 1029. It belonged to the Beaumont-Bressuire family until the start of the 16th century.
The castle is a fine example of medieval military architecture. The visible remains date essentially from the end of the 12th and start of the 13th century. The fortress included three enceinte
s, of which the outermost has now disappeared. The castle was broken up during the first half of the 18th century. A new residence was built around 1880, set back in relation to the former building. The castle was acquired by the commune
in 1975.
It has been listed since 1996 as a monument historique
by the French Ministry of Culture.
Bressuire
Bressuire is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department in France. The town is situated on an eminence overlooking the Dolo, a tributary of the Argenton.-Notable buildings:...
in the Deux-Sèvres
Deux-Sèvres
Deux-Sèvres is a French département. Deux-Sèvres literally means "two Sèvres": the Sèvre Nantaise and the Sèvre Niortaise are two rivers which have their sources in the department.-History:...
département of France.
The site has been inhabited continuously since the Celtic epoch. The present castle, most probably founded at the turn of the 10th and 11th centuries by the Beaumont family, occupies a considerable area on the rounded extremity of a plateau. With its strong position, it played a leading military role in the battles in Poitou
Poitou
Poitou was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers.The region of Poitou was called Thifalia in the sixth century....
between the kings of England and France over three centuries.
The castle is first documented in 1029. It belonged to the Beaumont-Bressuire family until the start of the 16th century.
The castle is a fine example of medieval military architecture. The visible remains date essentially from the end of the 12th and start of the 13th century. The fortress included three enceinte
Enceinte
Enceinte , is a French term used technically in fortification for the inner ring of fortifications surrounding a town or a concentric castle....
s, of which the outermost has now disappeared. The castle was broken up during the first half of the 18th century. A new residence was built around 1880, set back in relation to the former building. The castle was acquired by 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...
in 1975.
It has been listed since 1996 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.