- Type
- Castle
- Built
- c. 1606 · 17th century
- Location
- Pays de la Loire, France
- Coordinates
- 47.3531°, -0.4497°
History
On the site of an old fortress of the counts of Anjou, Pierre de Brézé, minister to King Charles VII, built a castle with two massive round towers in the 15th century. In 1502 the estate was bought by René de Cossé, and it has belonged to his family ever since. Charles II de Cossé, who opened the gates of Paris to Henry IV in 1594 and was later made a duke, began a major rebuilding around 1606 to designs by Jacques Corbineau. In 1620 Brissac was the scene of the reconciliation between Louis XIII and his mother Marie de' Medici. The duke's death in 1621 halted the work, leaving the new palace squeezed between medieval towers that were never pulled down.
What to see
The facade, with tall pavilions wedged between medieval towers, looks unfinished – and so it is. Inside are gilded ceilings with painted beams, tapestries, furniture and family portraits, as well as the bedchamber where Louis XIII stayed. A charming surprise is the small late 19th-century theatre created by the Marquise Jeanne Say. The château is surrounded by a landscaped park with cedars and Anjou vineyards.
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