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At the bottom of this page you will find a superb video produced by Art Fly Production.

Saint Brisson sur Loire Castle

The Château de Saint Brisson sur Loire was a massive and exceptional fortress with curtain walls 20 metres high and 4.5 metres thick.

Strategically located, it overlooked the Loire and was at the end of the Berry province, not far from the Orléans and Burgundy regions. This branch of the river has since been drained for the construction of the Canal Latéral de la Loire (see below the illustration made in 1600 showing the Loire just in front of the castle).

The history of the castle goes back to 1061 when we find traces of its existence in the texts with its lord, Robert de Saint Brisson. In 1135, Louis VI, known as Louis le Gros, King of France, besieged the castle and ruined it. Indeed, its owner at the time took advantage of the location of his fortress to plunder merchants and travellers who passed through.

Following this, the castle came into the possession of the Counts of Sancerre until 1290 and was rebuilt. It then passed into the hands of the de Nevers and then into the hands of the Seguier family in 1567. The Seguiers decided to turn it into a residential castle rather than a fortress. The building underwent many transformations for this purpose.
During the Revolution, in 1793, almost half of the castle was demolished.

In the 19th century, the castle was refurbished and modernised.
The last descendant of the Saint-Brisson family donated the castle, which was in a poor state of repair, to the town hall of Saint-Brisson in 1987. The outbuildings were then sold and the castle returned to private ownership in 2015 when it was sold to the Société "Tous au Château", which undertook to keep it open to the public.

In the four-storey castle, you can visit 25 furnished rooms, from the kitchen to the attic, including the Marquise's flats, the billiard room, the dining room and even the maids' rooms.

You are thus immersed in a seigneurial residence furnished and decorated as it was in the 19th/early 20th century.

Behind the scenes, you can admire the 16th century roof structure or the well behind the kitchen.

But surprises also await you in the park of almost eight hectares.

You will find reproductions of four functional medieval war machines: a cerbatan, a mangonel, a couillard and a pierrière.

Saint Brisson sur Loire Castle Dining Room

The visit is fun with two rooms dedicated to games, the attic with its games of skill and the small lounge with its board games. Take the time to play a game!

In the park you will also discover the great medieval games.

Take advantage of the castle's activities, such as the "Very Special Visits", the "Haunted Evenings" or the "Aperitif at the Castle" every Saturday evening in summer. Aperitifs, local products and music are on the programme from 7 to 11 pm.
For more informations about theese events, you can go to the news page here.

Fun facts about Saint Brisson sur Loire Castle

Do you know...?

- Saint Brisson sur Loire is the most upstream castle on the Loire. Perfect to start a long journey to Nantes!

- It is one of the smallest castles in the Loire Valley with its 1500 square meters

- Saint Brisson sur Loire is an old wine-producing village, whose basement is full of wine cellars. The castle's cellar dates from the beginning of the 13th century.

Website of Saint Brisson sur Loire Castle