Combourg, an austere medieval fortress
Combourg, located in Northern Brittany, has a history dating back to the Gallo-Roman period, as evidenced by archaeological finds.
The fortress of Combourg was constructed in the early 11th century by Guingené, the Archbishop of Dol de Bretagne. He also established the Seigneury of Combourg for his younger brother, Riwallon.
The Seigneury remained in Riwallon’s family until 1097 and then passed through various aristocratic Breton families over the centuries. In 1575, the Seigneury was elevated to a County by the Coetquen family.
The fortress underwent modifications during the 13th, 14th, and 15th centuries, yet it has retained its austere architectural style. The structure consists of four turreted buildings arranged around a central courtyard, with four massive round towers topped with pepper-pot roofs marking the corners. Small apertures pierce the tall walls, adding to its formidable appearance.
A beautifully landscaped park now surrounds the dark and imposing castle, which dominates the village of Combourg and offers superb views of Lac Tranquille.
Château de Combourg, the château of René de Chateaubriand
The Châteaubriand family, one of the oldest baronies in Brittany, bought the County in the 18th century.
The family’s aristocratic title dates back to the 11th century Crusades.
Their crest commemorates the religious expeditions to the Holy Land with the motto:
“Mon sang a teint la bannière de France” – “My blood is on the banner of France”.
The renowned French writer, Viscount François-René de Chateaubriand, was an heir to this ancient lineage.
However, despite the family’s ancient noble status, the kings of France largely ‘overlooked’ them until François-René’s father restored the family’s fortune through a series of successful maritime dealings.
François-René de Châteaubriand
François-René de Châteaubriand was born on September 4, 1768, in the Hôtel de la Gicquelais in St-Malo, as the tenth child of the family.
In 1777, he moved to the fortress of Combourg, where he spent much of his youth. Like his mother, he struggled with the severity and darkness of the place.
These years of loneliness and boredom profoundly influenced his personality, contributing to his emergence as the founder of the Romantic literary movement.
At the end of his life, he wrote his masterpiece, Mémoires d’Outre-tombe (Memoirs from Beyond the Grave).
Here is an extract from this work:
“C’est dans les bois de Combourg que je suis devenu ce que je suis, que j’ai commencé à sentir la première atteinte de cet ennui que j’ai traîné toute ma vie, de cette tristesse qui a fait mon tourment et ma félicité, c’est là que j’ai cherché un Coeur qui pût entendre le mien…”
“It is in the woods of Combourg that I became what I am, that I started to feel the first attack of boredom I dragged my whole life, the sadness that made my anguish and my happiness, it is where I looked for a Heart that could hear mine …”
This talented writer, with a melancholic and sensitive soul, was also an accomplished diplomat and politician, who served under both Louis XVIII and Charles X. Chateaubriand died in Paris on July 4, 1848. In accordance with his wishes, he was buried on the Îlot de Bé off St-Malo, an islet that is accessible only at low tide.
His lonely grave bears the following epitaph:
“Un grand écrivain Français a voulu reposer ici, pour n’entendre que la mer et le vent.”
“Passant, respecte sa dernière volonté”
“A great French writer wanted to rest here, to listen only to the sea and wind.’
“Passerby, respect his last wish ”
Department of Ille et Vilaine
Coordinates: Lat 48.407524 – Long -1.754111
Photo via Wikimedia Commons: François-René de Chateaubriand by Anne-Louis Girodet de Roussy-Trioson (1767–1824 Public domain
