Historic site and monument, Coastal archaeology, Castle, Fortified castle, Fortified ensemble, Coastal fortification, Ruins and remains

Guildo Castle

Crehen

About

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The departmental domain of Château du Guildo is a sensitive natural space which is located in a Natura 2000 zone. It is a preserved environment, with astonishing fauna and flora as well as a great diversity of natural environments. Remarkable coastal woods, a salt meadow, a mudflat and even a dune are present on the 5,36 hectares of the estate. Endemic, protected and threatened plants grow there. Many species of migratory birds, bats and even a colony of seals make their home here.

The remains of the Guildo castle have been listed in the inventory of historic monuments since 1951. The Guildo castle is located on a rocky spur, a stronghold which offers a strategic defensive position because it allows control of maritime and land passages.

From the XNUMXth century, a first construction is attested by the presence of a seigniorial residence and a barnyard built mainly in wood and earth.

From the XNUMXth century, the site, like many others, underwent major changes. It was razed and then rebuilt in stone, new defensive systems were put in place: The view was cleared to allow better surveillance, moats were dug, a four-sided enclosure was built with round towers at the corners and a castle gate. hall. A richly decorated stately home, a chapel and other buildings are organized around a courtyard. This building was certainly built by a high-ranking personage because only the high nobility could afford the construction of such a castle.

In the middle of the 1341th century, the first stone castle was destroyed during the War of Succession of Brittany (1364-XNUMX: a war between the heirs and the Duchy of Brittany). The site will remain abandoned for some time.

At the end of the XNUMXth century, the castle was reinvested and completely rebuilt on the old remains. A large hall, a kitchen, outbuildings, a chapel and lodgings were erected. The east wing becomes the new seigniorial residence. The South-West tower is rebuilt in a polygonal shape. The courtyard is organized into a single space with a cistern well in the middle. It is this enclosure that is still present today.

The castle reached its peak in the middle of the XNUMXth century thanks to Françoise de Dinan, heiress of several great Breton families and wife of Gilles de Bretagne, brother of Duke François I. It will carry out numerous improvement and embellishment operations: a new large seigniorial hall, new spiral staircase turrets, the embellishment of the outbuildings, the creation of a blacksmith's forge and a stable.

At the end of the 1489th and 1491th centuries, the Château du Guildo suffered numerous sieges. It is put back into defense several times and adapts to developments in powder artillery (firing terraces, construction of earth levees). The Franco-Breton War (1514-1588: a defeat which led to the annexation of Brittany in 1598) and the War of the League (XNUMX-XNUMX: a war which opposed the Protestant King of France to the Catholic governor of Brittany) will ruin the castle, which will never regain its former glory.
The site of Guildo, gradually abandoned from the XNUMXth century, will be cultivated and will serve as a stone quarry until the beginning of the XNUMXth century.

The restoration of the castle was completed in November 2021. Guildo Castle is now permanently open to the public, interpretation panels on the history of the castle have been added.

More information on chateauduguildo.fr

​​Spoken Languages:
  • Français
  • English
groups accepted:

Contact

Guildo Castle
Old Castle Street
22130 Crehen

Prices

Free Accès libre

Opening

From: 01 / 01 / 24 To: 31 / 12 / 24
  • Monday : open
  • Tuesday : open
  • Wednesday : open
  • Thursday : open
  • Friday : open
  • On Saturday: open
  • Sunday: open