Château de Saint-Brice, dit autrefois château de la Motte
CastleHidden Treasure
Château de Saint-Brice, dit autrefois château de la Motte, located in Saint-Brice-en-Coglès (Département 35), is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- Castle
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- Saint-Brice-en-Coglès, Département 35, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.4085, -1.3500
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00090769
Ancien marquisat breton du XVIIe siècle, le château de Saint-Brice déploie son élégance classique autour d'une cour à trois ailes, flanquée de pavillons et gardée par une porte à tourelles héritière des âges fortifiés.
History
Nestling in the heart of the Coglès region, on the borders of Brittany and Normandy, the Château de Saint-Brice stands as the last remaining evidence of a centuries-old seigneury whose roots go back to the High Middle Ages. Its ordered silhouette, punctuated by four corner pavilions and three main buildings forming an open horseshoe, reveals an architectural balance typical of the first decades of the 17th century, when the French art of building sought to reconcile medieval defensive memories with the new classical grammar. What distinguishes Saint-Brice from the other Breton country houses of its time is the visible superimposition of several periods: The entrance door, pierced through a guardhouse flanked by two square turrets and once protected by a portcullis and two drawbridges, clearly evokes the castral habits of the past, while the orangery, the well-tended stoop and the balustraded pool bear witness to the decorative aspirations of a provincial aristocracy keen to follow the fashions of the Grand Siècle. Visitors enter the inner courtyard after crossing a threshold steeped in history, where defensive architecture gradually becomes a representation. The proportions of the facades, their sober treatment in local granite, the symmetrical layout of the pavilions: everything contributes to an austere harmony, characteristic of the seigneurial architecture of Ille-et-Vilaine. Around the château, the landscape retains traces of the old pond that once encircled the medieval fortress, giving the site a melancholy, romantic atmosphere that is particularly conducive to walks. The orangery, a rare feature of a Breton country estate, is a reminder that its owners, marquesses of renown at court, aspired to bring some of the splendour of the great French residences to this remote corner of Coglès.
Architecture
The Château de Saint-Brice is a typical example of Breton seigneurial architecture from the early 17th century, extending certain medieval defensive codes while incorporating the principles of regularity and symmetry typical of the emerging classical era. The complex comprises three main buildings forming three sides of an open square - a so-called "horseshoe" plan - and is flanked by four corner pavilions, giving the residence a majestic, balanced silhouette typical of French châteaux in the first half of the 17th century. The entrance gate is the most remarkable architectural feature and the most evocative of the site's military past. Housed in a dedicated building, it is flanked by two square turrets - a direct reference to medieval gatehouses - and still retains the memory of a portcullis and two drawbridges that once defended it. This entrance, which is both functional and symbolic, is a perfect illustration of the transition between military architecture and representative architecture. The materials used are those of the region: the granite of the Armorican massif, soberly treated, gives the facades a grey tone characteristic of the castles of Ille-et-Vilaine. The exterior features a well-tended porch, an orangery - a rare construction in rural Brittany - and a pond decorated with a stone balustrade. These landscaped features bear witness to the influence of French-style gardens on the provincial nobility of the Grand Siècle, and add an ornamental dimension to the ensemble that contrasts happily with the severity of the granite facades.
Related Figures
Seigneurs de Saint-Brice (XIIe siècle) — premiers détenteurs attestés de la châtellenie dès 1151Famille titulaire de la baronnie (1566) — obtenteurs de l'érection en baronnie sous Charles IX ou Henri IIIMarquis de Saint-Brice (1664) — bénéficiaires de l'élévation en marquisat sous Louis XIVBarons de Fougères (XIIe-XIVe siècle) — suzerains dont relevait la châtellenie de Saint-BriceConstructeurs du château actuel (début XVIIe siècle) — maîtres d'ouvrage de la reconstruction après les ruines de 1580
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Château de Saint-Brice, dit autrefois château de la Motte located?
Château de Saint-Brice, dit autrefois château de la Motte is located in Saint-Brice-en-Coglès, Département 35 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Château de Saint-Brice, dit autrefois château de la Motte built?
Château de Saint-Brice, dit autrefois château de la Motte dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Château de Saint-Brice, dit autrefois château de la Motte open to visitors?
Château de Saint-Brice, dit autrefois château de la Motte is currently closed to visitors.
