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Saint Brisson sur Loire Castle

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

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

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

The castle was then owned by the Counts of Sancerre until 1290, when it was rebuilt. It then passed into the hands of the de Nevers family and, in 1567, to the Seguier family. The Seguiers decided to turn it into a residence rather than a fortress. To this end, the building underwent many transformations.
During the Revolution of 1793, almost half of the castle was demolished.

In the 19th century, the castle was renovated 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 château returned to private ownership in 2015 when it was sold to the "Tous au Château" company, which undertook to keep it open to the public.

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

You will be immersed in a seigneurial residence furnished and decorated as it was in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

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

The park, which covers almost eight hectares, is also full of surprises.

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

Saint Brisson sur Loire Castle Dining Room

There are 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!

You will also discover the great medieval games in the park.

Take advantage of the castle's activities, such as the "very special visits", the "haunted evenings" or the "aperitifs 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