The Château de Largoët (), also known as the ''Tours d’Elven'' (Elven Towers), is a medieval castle in
Elven, in the
Morbihan
The Morbihan ( , ; ) is a departments of France, department in the administrative region of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany, situated in the northwest of France. It is named after the Gulf of Morbihan, Morbihan (''small sea'' in Breton ...
''
département
In the administrative divisions of France, the department (, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. There are a total of 101 ...
'' of
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, 13 km from
Vannes
Vannes (; , , ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, French department of Morbihan, Brittany (administrative region), Brittany, northwestern mainland France. It was founded over 2,000 years ago.
History
Celtic ...
.
History
A castle is mentioned for the first time in 1020, belonging to the baron of Elven, Derrien I, but the present building was constructed between the 13th and 15th centuries. The manor became the property of the Malestroit family in the 13th century. The houses of Blois and Montfort fought for it during the
Breton War of Succession, before it came to the Rieux family in the 15th century. It was during this period (between 1474 and 1476) that Jean IV, lord of Rieux, protected Henry Tudor, Duke of Richmond, future King
Henry VII of
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. In 1490,
Charles VIII of France
Charles VIII, called the Affable (; 30 June 1470 – 7 April 1498), was King of France from 1483 to his death in 1498. He succeeded his father Louis XI at the age of 13. His elder sister Anne acted as regent jointly with her husband Peter II, Du ...
, dismantled the castle, but it was restored under the influence of
Anne de Bretagne.
Nicolas Fouquet
Nicolas Fouquet, marquis de Belle-Île, vicomte de Melun et Vaux (; 27 January 1615 – 23 March 1680) was the Superintendent of Finances in France from 1653 until 1661 under King Louis XIV. He had a glittering career, and acquired enormous weal ...
bought it in 1656 and, after his death, it was sold to Michel de Trémeurec and stayed in his family. In the 19th century, it was proposed to demolish Largoët, given its dilapidation, but it was saved thanks to
Prosper Mérimée, who had it classed as a ''
monument historique
() is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, ...
'' in 1862. Beginning in the 1970s, there has been a programme of restoration.
Architecture
The ruins of Largoët maintain their imposing aspect, notably because of the 14th century octagonal
keep
A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residen ...
. At 45 m, it is one of the highest in France (for comparison, the keep at the
Château de Vincennes reaches 52 m). There are five floors and the walls are between 6 and 10 m thick. On the sixth or seventh floor is the room where Henry Tudor stayed.
[Le prisonnier de la tour d'Elven ou la jeunesse du Roy Henri VII, J.Allanic, Vannes, 1909.]
As well as this colossal edifice, Largoët also boasts:
* A 15th-century
gatehouse
A gatehouse is a type of fortified gateway, an entry control point building, enclosing or accompanying a gateway for a town, religious house, castle, manor house, or other fortification building of importance. Gatehouses are typically the most ...
, marking the entrance to the fortress, built against another 13th-century building.
* A round tower of three storeys, from the 15th century, with cannon openings on the first level, and covered with a hexagonal building. It was furnished in the 20th century as a hunting lodge. It has been used as a location for historical films, including ''
Lancelot du Lac'' and ''
Chouans''.
* The remains of the enclosing walls, dried up moats and a lake.
* The ruins of a construction known as an
ice house (''glacière''), used as a food store.
* The entrance to a vast cellar which was used to store wood.
An underground mystery
A tunnel at one time provided an exit from the fortress, but its entrance has not been found. Works in the Lion d'Or inn, in the centre of Elven, could bring this to light.
See also
*
List of castles in France
This is a list of castles in France, arranged by Regions of France, region and Departments of France, department.
;Notes:
# The French word ''château'' has a wider meaning than the English ''castle'': it includes architectural entities that are p ...
References
External links
*
Visiting information
{{DEFAULTSORT:Largoet, Chateau de
13th-century fortifications
Castles in Brittany
Châteaux in Morbihan
Monuments historiques of Morbihan
Charles VIII of France