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Origin and history

The Château du Bois-Cornillé, located in Val-d'Izé in Ille-et-Vilaine, finds its origins in the 15th century under the impulse of Pierre Landais, treasurer and great silversmith of the Duke François II of Brittany. This medieval castle, endowed with a right of high justice, passed into the hands of several noble families by successive alliances: the Cornillé, the Landais, the Espervier, the Bouillé, and the Chavigny, who sold it in 1553 to Louise de Goulaine. Over the centuries he belonged to the Dukes of Halluin, the Sieurs de la Porte (family of the Cardinal of Richelieu), and to the Geffrard de la Motte, including a member, Jean-François, who was involved in a famous trial in 1786. In 1764 it was acquired by the Goyon des Hurlières, then in 1854 by the family Le Cardinal de Kernier, still owner today.

Between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the castle was completely renovated in a neo-Gothic style by architects Jules and Henri Mellet, preserving from medieval times only the octagonal Gouÿon sandstone tower and some defensive elements such as the Landais tower. The chapel, built in 1721 and blessed by Canon Charles-François Billon, was redesigned in 1903. It houses the hearts of several lords of Bois-Cornillé, including those of the Geffrard, under armored stones. Marriages of noble families, such as those of La Filochaye, La Porte and Cornulier, were celebrated between the 17th and 18th centuries.

The English park, designed in 1876 by landscapers Denis and Eugene Bühler as well as Édouard André, extends around the castle and incorporates remarkable elements: an access pavilion, a laurels alley, a walled pond, and a French garden designed in 1902. A singularity of the park is the door of the old prison of Rennes (Richelot prison), raised in the 20th century as a garden factory. The estate, which blends medieval heritage, neo-Gothic transformations and landscape developments, was listed as historical monuments in 1988 for the castle and in 1992 for the park.

In the 21st century, the château du Bois-Cornillé served as the setting for the film Completely Cramé ! (2022), adapted from Gilles Legardinier's novel. Its history reflects the architectural and social evolutions of Brittany, from the fascists of the duchy to the nineteenth century to its contemporary role in the cultural and cinematographic heritage.

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