Château de Brézé

Brézé Castle is a small castle near the village of Brézé in the French department of Maine -et -Loire.

Architectural History

Written references to Castle Brézé there are in the literature for the first time in the year 1060. The fabric of the present, by a dry moat surrounding plant stems mainly from the 16th and 19th centuries. It shows the style of the Renaissance, but also still has medieval elements such as the drawbridge and used since the 12th century basement of ancient caves that have arisen in part by the degradation of the local tuff. Extraction and export of tufa has been operated since the 11th century, and finally set in the 19th century. The current owners operate castle Brézé mainly as a winery with 30 hectares of land; since 2000 a part of the cave basement is open for visitors.

The oldest parts of today's building are the towers of the outer main wing and part of the 13th-century and later converted to match the Renaissance wing tower. These parts should go back to its current state on the reconstruction of the fortifications by Gilles de Maille - Brézé 1448. The castle was heavily modified in 1515 and again. Additional modifications, carried out in 1560 by Arthur de Maille - Brézé include the construction of the east side of the Renaissance wing.

Of the dry moats, the visitor enters an amazing, because by degradation of the tuff arisen cave system, which is used for economic areas since the 16th century. There is, for example, a bakery, a space for sericulture, a wine press and wine cellar.

Family History

Castle Brézé was over the centuries home for several families, but there was no connection to the family Brézé. Rather, it was - like the rule Brézé and in the 17th century the title of Marquis de Brézé - the house Maille, which had acquired the village Brézé in the 14th century and was not related to the house Brézé.

Family Maillé - Brézé: At the time of this family the first extensive renovations took place. Gilles de Maille - Brézé received in 1448 by King René permission to attach the lock; then he left the 10 to 12 m deep trenches around the castle to create. Arthur de Maille - Brézé built in 1558 the Renaissance wing. 1615 was the property of King Louis XIII. raised to Marquisat, and Urbain de Maille - Brézé was the first Marquis. He married Nicole du Plessis, sister of Richelieu. His son Armand was a royal admiral of France.

Condé family: Claire- Clémence de Maille - Brézé, sole heiress, married Louis II de Bourbon Condé and turned the property over the 1650 Condé family. In the same year the "Great Condé " the Fronde joined. This alliance of the French aristocracy, the high judiciary, the Parliaments', especially the Parlements of Paris, and parts of the nation, also mainly in Paris, directed against the increasing absolutism in 17th century France. During this time the castle was occupied Brézé about 1653 a year of royal troops. 1682 exchanged Louis II de Condé, the Good Brézé against the estate Galissonière near Nantes in.

Family Dreux - Brézé: The new owner of Brézé, Thomas de Lima, a consultant in the Parliament of Paris, acquired not only the right, but was under King Louis XIV the title of Marquis. In 1701, the family also acquired the title of Grand Master of Ceremonies, which she held until 1830. Heinrich Evrard of Dreux - Brézé, Grand Master of Ceremonies King Louis XVI. , Built from the Renaissance part of the castle. His son Pierre, Bishop of Moulins, and his grandson Henry Simon began under the leadership of architect René Hodé with the reconstruction of the castle and gave him the existing until today the Gothic Revival style elements.

Family Colbert: By the marriage of Charlotte of Dreux - Brézé with Count Bernard of Colbert in 1959 the estate passed into the possession of the family that lives there today.