Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The chèze castle is built between 1180 and 1231 for Eudon III by Eudon II, Viscount of Porhoët. This castle, of irregular hexagonal plan, is surrounded by moat and flanked by seven towers, including two twins surrounding the main entrance. Its first remains, such as a poterne and semicircular tower bases, date from this early medieval period. The site is strategically located in the centre of Brittany, near the borders of the Côtes-d-Armor, reflecting its defensive and administrative importance.

Between 1370 and 1400, Olivier V de Clisson, lord of the Chèze after his acquisition of Josselin's chestnut, undertook major changes. In particular, he built an octagonal dungeon, a symbol of military modernization in the face of the conflicts of the time, such as the clashes against the English troops who then occupied part of Brittany. The castle then became the main residence of the Rohans in the 15th century, a powerful family that installed their chamber of accounts there and reinforced the enclosure to resist the sieges, like that led in 1488 by the Ducal army of Marshal of Rieux.

Over the centuries, the castle lost its military interest with the advent of firearms. After the Protestant rebellion of Henri de Rohan in 1628, Louis XIII ordered his partial dismantling on Richelieu's instructions. In 1743, permission was given to strip his stones in order to build the church of Loudéac and local houses. About 1857, the remains were almost completely destroyed. In the 20th century, the ruins were ceded to the city in 1979 and became a cultural place, hosting the Blues festival at the Château while being gradually restored.

Today, the castle presents itself as imposing ruins: a partially preserved polygonal dungeon (17 meters high), fragments of courtine, and the bases of circular towers. The old ditches, filled, were transformed into a walk. The site, classified as Historic Monument in 2005, retains a major archaeological value, with protected soils in reserve. Its underground and its poternes recall its past as a must-see fortress in medieval Brittany.

The château de la Chèze illustrates the power struggles in Brittany, between local lords such as the Rohan, the crown of France, and English influences. Its architecture evolved from the 12th to the 15th century, from a purely defensive function to a seigneurial residence, before declining with the progress of artillery. The present remains, though fragmentary, offer a tangible testimony of this turbulent history, between wars, matrimonial alliances (like the marriage of John II of Rohan with Mary of Brittany in 1461) and political transformations.

Finally, the castle also embodies local collective memory, with events such as the Blues festival at the Château, created in 2006 to finance its preservation. This place, once the heart of the Rohan power, is today a heritage and cultural symbol for the municipality of La Chèze, linking medieval past and contemporary dynamism.

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