Château de Brissac

History

Nestled in the heart of the Loire Valley of France stands the Château de Brissac, the tallest castle in France. A castle has existed at this location since about the year 1000, when Fulk III, Fulk the Black, Count of Anjou, who was born around 970, may have chosen the site in the late 10th century and began building a wood and stone medieval fortress in the early 11th century. Fulk is said to have built approximately 100 castles and abbeys throughout the Loire Valley, starting with the Château de Langeais. In 1068, two feudal lords, Geoffrey the Bearded and Fulk the Rechin, fought at the castle, where Fulk defeated Geoffrey. After the English were defeated, King Philip II Augustus gave Brissac to his seneschal Guillaume des Roches, and he visited the castle on Ascension Day, May 11th, 1206.

Brissac would change owners several times until 1434, when Jean de la Haye, Lord of Brissac, ceded the fief to Pierre de Brézé, Lord of Maulévrier, and an influential minister to King Louis XI. Brezé led a raid from Honfleur on Sandwich, England, in 1457, and he died in 1465 at the Battle of Montléhry while protecting the king. His castle was rebuilt in the late 15th century, including the two asymmetrical towers on the east façade.

One of the medieval towers on the east front.

During the reign of Francis I, the castle was bought by René de Cossé in 1502, who was named governor of Anjou and Maine by the king. René bought the estate on May 26th, 1502, from Louis de Brezé, and his family later took the name Cossé-Brissac. It was either de Brézé or de Cossé who rebuilt the castle.

During the French Wars of Religion, the castle was in the possession of King Henry of Navarre. The castle was severely damaged and scheduled for demolition. However, when Charles II de Cossé sided with Henry, who would soon be crowned king of France, and who opened Paris to him in 1594, Henry granted him the castle and the title of Duke of Brissac, as well as the title of Marshal of France. He was also given the funds to rebuild the castle. Charles II de Cossé, who inherited the dilapidated property, began the rebuilding between 1601 and 1606, and he hired a legion of artists and craftsmen to carry it on until his death in 1621. In 1611, Charles II became a duke and peer of France.

Charles died in 1621, and the work halted, with a new castle half-built and the old medieval castle half-destroyed. The old castle was torn down, except for two twin towers, and a new castle in a 17th century Baroque style was built against the two medieval towers, making it the tallest castle in France. Charles had meant to tear down the two medieval towers as well, but he died before he could, so they still stand on the front of the castle.

A large five-story donjon marked the center of the new Baroque castle, flanked by two lower buildings, of which only the left building exists today. A seven-story pavilion was raised above the River Aubance, completing the new castle.

A carved coat of arms.

In August 1620, King Louis XIII and his mother, Marie de Medici, met at Brissac to discuss their differences and come to a truce. The truce did not last long, as Marie de Medici was soon banished. The meeting on August 13th, 1620, was followed by three days of festivities.

In 1792, the castle was sacked during the French Revolution and left in ruins. Louis-Hercule, the eighth Duke of Brissac, was killed at Versailles in 1792, and the castle was briefly nationalized before it was returned to the heirs. The restoration of the castle began in 1844, carried out by the subsequent Duke of Brissac. Augustin, who lived from 1775 to 1848, built the Petit Château.

Today, the Château de Brissac is still owned by the Cossé-Brissac family under Charles-André de Cossé, 14th Duke of Brissac. The family has owned the castle since 1502, and Charles-André and his wife, Larissa, live there with their four children. The castle has 204 rooms and is nicknamed the "Giant of the Loire Valley." It has been listed as a monument historique since 1958 and 1966, and it offers bed and breakfast in a historic room with 17th-century tapestries, while the medieval kitchens and ceremonial lounges host receptions.

Castle Highlights

The Great Gallery.

The Château de Brissac is the tallest castle in France, standing at seven stories. It is a unique blend of mostly Baroque-inspired architecture, while retaining a bit of its medieval charm. If you look closely at the castle's East elevation featuring the main entrance, you will see the medieval Gothic towers on both corners. Well, the front halves of each tower anyway, with the more modern 17th-century structure resting against the towers, not quite connected to each other.

The castle is fully furnished and open to visitors through a guided tour lasting about 90 minutes. The Grande Galerie, or Great Gallery, is a long, well-lit hall, 32 meters (about 105 feet) in length, with windows that let in abundant sunlight and a detailed painted ceiling dating from 1625.

The theatre.

The castle also has its own theatre, inaugurated in 1890, which held operas each autumn through 1914. Jeanne Say, the widow of the Marquis de Brissac, built it for herself. She came from a wealthy sugar-refining family and was a talented soprano, and the theatre closed after her death in 1916 until volunteers restored it and it reopened in 1983. It seats 170. Several period bedrooms give a sense of life at the castle, including the Louis XIII room and the Hunting Room, which contains several tapestries woven in Flanders. The Louis XIII Bedchamber is the room where Louis XIII and his mother, Marie de Medici, were reconciled in 1620, after the battle of Ponts-de-Cé. The Grand Salon, once called the gilded salon, has a gold-leafed coffered ceiling from the 17th century, four Venetian crystal chandeliers from Murano, and a Louis XIII mantelpiece with a bust of Charles II de Cossé, and the Portrait Gallery shows the family's 13 dukes and 4 Marshals of France. When I visited in 2015, the tour ended on the lower level, through the medieval kitchens and the wine cellar, which also served as the gift shop.

It will take at least half a day to visit Brissac, especially if you do the guided tour of the inside and walk around the castle grounds. It is a nice walk around the grounds and worth the walk to take in the castle from different sides. The castles of either Angers or Plessis-Bourré are close enough to visit the same day, but all three in one day will be too rushed.

Château de Brissac is also haunted.