Château de Brissac, the Giant of the Loire Valley
The Château de Brissac overlooks the Aubance River, in the village of Brissac-Quincé, about 15 kilometres south of Angers.
Brissac is the Loire Valley’s most impressive and tallest castle, known as The Géant de la Vallée de la Loire!
This grand castle, with its slender spires, stands amidst a park planted with centuries-old cedars of Lebanon.
It has no fewer than 240 rooms spread over seven floors, making it a truly monumental building.
The name “Brissac” comes from “Bèchesac“, a nickname formerly given to millers who notoriously cheated on the weight of their flour bags. This suggests that in 1455, Pierre de Brézé had the original fortress built on the site of an old watermill.
Cossé Family – Dukes of Brissac
René de Cossé acquired the Château de Brissac in 1502; the castle has remained in the same family since then! The current owner is the 14th Duke of Brissac.
The Brissac family is one of the oldest in France. René de Cossé’s grandson, Charles II de Cossé, was a prominent local leader of the Catholic League, supporting the Duke of Guise against the ProtestantKing Henri IV.
After the League’s defeat in 1594, Charles, then governor of Paris, capitulated and handed over the keys to the city to Henry IV. As a sign of gratitude, the king appointed him Marshal of France and Duke of Brissac.
Charles de Cossé reconstructed the castle, which had suffered serious damage during the Wars of Religion, and added the left wing and the central pavilion. However, work was interrupted after he died in 1621, and the castle remained unfinished, but his descendants undertook no further work.
As a result, Brissac Castle’a architecture is a unique blend of military medieval features and Renaissance modifications, while its facade reflects the influence of 17th-century Baroque architecture.
The castle was declared state property in 1796, following the French Revolution.
Château de Brissac – A quick tour
The Château de Brissac stands out for its seven-floor early French Renaissance central pavilion. Two massive Gothic towers, remnants of the old fortress flank the imposing structure.
The interior of the castle boasts a wealth of tapestries, antique armour, paintings and elegant 18th-century furniture. It also features a superb 17th-century painted ceiling, a Louis XIII-style staircase leading to the Great Hall and, on the second floor, a magnificently restored Belle Époque theatre.
For those who prefer a different approach to castle visits, the Château de Brissac cellars offer a fine selection of wines produced in its vineyard!
Brissac-Quincé – Department of Maine-et-Loire
Coordinates: Lat 47.352968 – Long -0.449774
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: : Header by PierL62 CC BY-SA 4.0 – Gothic tower by Wladyslaw Sojka CC BY-SA 3.0 – Renaissance pavilion and Gothic towers by Manfred Heyde CC BY-SA 3.0
