The castles of the Loire Valley: Montsoreau, Saumur, Brézé

The only castle on the Loire built in the riverbed, the Château de Montsoreau was built in 1453 by Jean II de Chambes, private adviser to King Charles VII. It is the first renaissance castle in France. At the time of its construction, the Loire River flowed all around the castle (at the location of the current gardens). It is built in a strategic location, at the confluence of the Vienne and the Loire and at the crossroads of three regions: Anjou, Touraine and Poitou. It is located in the Loire Valley, a Unesco world heritage site, and in the village of Montsoreau, one of the most beautiful villages in France. It is our favorite of this trip.

The castle of Montsoreau houses a museum of contemporary art with a unique collection in the world (Philippe Méaille collection). The collection is composed of works by the Art & Language collective. The contribution of this collective in the history of art is important because its artists were at the origin of the conceptual art.

The museum's collection is composed of paintings, drawings, videos, installations ... It is spread over the first two floors of the museum (the third floor is dedicated to temporary exhibitions).

The view from the terraces of the castle, 35 meters high, is breathtaking. You can see the castle of saumur, the troglodytic houses, the vineyards on the hillside of Montsoreau and the confluence of the vienne and the Loire.

Built between the 11th and 19th centuries in the heart of a vineyard covering several dozen hectares, the Château de Brézé belonged to the powerful Dreux-Brézé family for centuries before being taken over by the Colbert family, descendants of Louis XIV's minister, through marriage.

The cavities of the castle of Brézé testify to a rich history going back at least to the middle of the 15th century, when the castle was fortified. It was indeed the object of many construction programs and modifications of its architecture. In addition to the underground passages, the dry moats are impressive for their size and depth, which make them among the deepest in Europe.

During the visit we discover the most important underground bakery known in France, with its imposing chimney whose mantle extends in a consequent way. The tour of the moat allows us to see three presses from the 16th century.

Possession of the counts of Anjou then of the Plantagenets, it is transformed into royal fortress at the beginning of the XIIIth century at the time of king Saint Louis.

During the second half of the 14th century, Duke Louis I of Anjou (brother of King Charles V) transformed it into a sumptuous palace. The miniature representing it in the famous "Très riches heures du duc de Berry" gives us a precise image.

King René, the last Duke of Anjou, resided there periodically. After his death in 1480, the castle returned to the royal domain.