The Lords of Dinan built Lehon Castle
The imposing ruins of Léhon Castle overlook the Abbey of Saint-Magloire and its quaint village, designated a “Petite Cité de Caractère” (Small Town of Character) in 2003.
The origins of the castle date back to 1034.
The lords of Dinan erected a wooden fort on the hilltop to guard the ford on the Rance, a crucial crossing point on the vital Roman trade route linking Corseul to Rennes.
In the 12th century, an imposing stone fortress replaced the wooden fort.
The fortress was seriously damaged during the siege led by Henry II of England between 1168 and 1166.
However, it was rebuilt, refortified, and improved several times over the following centuries, notably during the Hundred Years’ War and the War of the Breton Succession, but was finally destroyed.
It was never rebuilt!
In the 17th century, the ruins became the property of the prior of the Abbey of Saint-Magloire.
The monks reused the stones to build new monastic buildings,
St. Joseph Chapel
Lehon Castle’s fate went from bad to worse during the French Revolution, when it was sold and was once again exploited as a stone quarry.
However, in 1872, the last private owner bequeathed it to the municipality, on the condition that the villagers build a chapel among the ruined fortress.
The Saint Joseph chapel was inaugurated in 1874.
However, it only served for a short time and was left abandoned. Over the decades, it fell into ruin and was finally demolished in 1962.
Although the chapel disappeared, a modest oratory dedicated to Saint Joseph was built in the ruined northwest tower of the castle. This small structure ensures the continued memory of the Saint-Joseph chapel amidst the remains of Lehon castle.
Lehon Castle today
The journey of Léhon Castle through the annals of historical recognition has been turbulent, marked by fluctuations in perception and appreciation. It was initially classified as a Historical Monument in 1926, but was unexpectedly declassified in 1931. The city councillors of the time indeed felt that the ruins had little historical or architectural interest!
However, interest was resurgent in 2004 when the mayor led the efforts to have the castle reclassified as a historical monument. This classification paved the way, at the request of the municipality of Léhon, for a major restoration project undertaken by the Historic Monuments Service from 2003 to 2006.
Rather than attempting to reconstruct Léhon Castle exactly as it was, the restoration efforts focused on highlighting and preserving its remaining features.
Today, exploring these ruins thus requires a mixture of imagination and historical knowledge to picture this once-imposing fortress, with its eight formidable defensive towers.
