Well, as I don’t want to keep you in suspense any longer, I’ll introduce you right away to one of the most remarkable gems of the Loire heritage: the Château de Brézé. Situated some 10 km south of Saumur, this castle is still home to a descendant of the family who started building it in the 11th century.
When entering the castle grounds, you’ll immediately be charmed and impressed by the elegant château, its drawbridge, the funny looking ‘pigeonnier’ and the attractive outbuildings, where you will be invited to taste some of the count’s wines.
Even when approaching the main building, you’ll still have no idea of the secret this place holds.
Are you still there? What do you expect to discover?
Well, beneath the 16th century building is hidden … another castle and an entire village.
When the castle was built, the plan was to fill the moat around it with water as it was usually done to offer extra protection against possible attackers. And there were quite a few of those around, if we are to believe the history books. But they had overlooked the fact that the building was on much higher ground than the natural water level in the area. So there was no way to get the moat filled and thus, until today, it has stayed dry and empty.Nowadays, a contractor who would make such a capital mistake would be fired on the spot. And he would certainly not be paid for his services. I dread to imagine, however, what they did in those days to the poor fellow responsible for this huge miscalculation. Although the dark medieval ages were over, (French) nobility didn’t take kindly to people who made mistakes. Severe punishment methods and torture were frequently used when things didn’t turn out the way they wanted them to be.
(to be continued)
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