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Origin and history

Largoët Fortress, also known as Elven Towers, is a medieval site located in Elven, Morbihan, 13 km from Vannes. Mentioned in 1020 as possession of Lord Derrian I, the present building was built between the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries. It became the property of the Malestroit family in the 13th century, then of the Rieux in the 15th century, which retained Henri Tudor (future Henri VII of England) between 1474 and 1476. The castle was dismantled in 1490 by Charles VIII, then restored under Anne de Bretagne.

During the War of the Succession of Brittany, the fortress changed hands between the parties of Blois and Montfort. In 1342 Charles de Blois took it over to Jean de Montfort. In the 15th century, it became a strategic lock in the Rieux triangle (Rochefort-Malestroit-Elven), controlling access to the Breton coast. In 1656 Nicolas Fouquet acquired the estate and had it built as a county, but after his disgratitude, the castle passed by alliance without ever being sold.

In the 19th century, Prosper Mérimée saved the ruins of demolition by classifying them as a historical monument in 1862. Restorations were undertaken as early as 1905 under the direction of architect Jobbé-Duval. Between the 1980s and 1990, the site hosted sound and light shows, such as Lancelot du Lac or Tristan and Iseult, involving the inhabitants of Elven. These performances ceased for lack of funding, but the 45-metre-high dungeon remains one of the most imposing in France, with thick walls of 6 to 9 meters.

The octagonal dungeon, built at the end of the 14th century, served as a seigneurial residence with five planched floors. It housed a chapel on the third level, latrines integrated in the thickness of the walls, and two spiral staircases: one public, the other private. The legend evokes an underground linking the fortress to the village of Elven, never found. The site also served as a setting for films like Lancelot du Lac (1974) or Les Chouans ! (1988).

Today, the fortress includes the ruins of two houses, a chestnut, a round tower, and a massive dungeon. The protections for historical monuments cover the tower (classified in 1862), all the ruins (1932), and elements such as moat, pond, or chapel (registered in 2000). Since the 1970s, restoration campaigns have tried to preserve this major medieval heritage.

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