Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Tower of Montbran, raised in the middle of the 12th century by the Templars, belonged to the command of La Noué (or Temple of the Caillibotière). Located in Pleboulle on a rocky spur, it controlled a strategic passage of the Frémur River and a Roman way. Its irregular octagonal plan, inscribed in a square, rests on natural reliefs, a rare architectural peculiarity for the era.

Originally, the tower was surrounded by a surface of earth that is now extinct, typical of the castral mots. It became private property in 1780 and was abandoned and now reduced to a ruined dungeon. Despite its state, it bears witness to the Templar implantation in Brittany, linked to the command office of Yvignac-la-Tour.

Ranked a historic monument in 1994 (although mentioned in 1840), the tower illustrates the legacy of medieval military orders. Its history is based on sources such as the works of Abbé Guillotin de Corson (1902) or the archives of the Mérimée base. Today, its access remains restricted, preserving a mysterious and emblematic site of Breton heritage.

The Templars, then the Hospitallers, marked their presence there, as evidenced by the local toponyms (Temple of Trehen). The tower probably served as a monitoring and control station for the communication axes, a key role in the feudal organization of the region.

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