Menhir dating -5000 à -2200 (≈ 3600 av. J.-C.)
Four quartzite menhirs in the park.
1894-1896
Construction of the castle
Construction of the castle 1894-1896 (≈ 1895)
Work by Henri Mellet for Maurice du Halgouët.
25 juin 2010
First entry MH
First entry MH 25 juin 2010 (≈ 2010)
Partial home and park protection.
19 décembre 2016
Extension of protection
Extension of protection 19 décembre 2016 (≈ 2016)
Includes firm, chapel and megaliths.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The Château du Brossay, namely: the whole house; terraces and amenities located around the house with their walls, stairs and guardrails; the facades and roofs of the chapel and the two outbuildings; the base of the park with its aisles and its rooms of water; the gate at the end of the avenue; the constitutive parts of the former Cabinet farm, i.e. the facades and roofs of buildings with the exception of the modern hangar, the walls and fence elements, the plate of the courtyards, enclosures and gardens of the farm; megaliths located in the park (cad. E 19, 21, 50, 54, 55, 56, 59, 60, 61, 62, 65, 66, 67, 1284, 1465, 1466, 1467, 1512, 1514, 1518, 1525, 1527), according to the plan attached to the decree: registration by order of 19 December 2016
Key figures
Henri Mellet - Architect
Manufacturer of the castle (1894-1896).
Maurice du Halgouët de Poulpiquet - Sponsor and Mayor
Owner, MP for Redon, initiator of the project.
Origin and history
The Château du Brossay, located in Renac in Ille-et-Vilaine (Bretagne), is a neo-Renaissance building built between 1894 and 1896 by architect Henri Mellet. Sponsored by Maurice du Halgouët de Poulpiquet, then mayor of Renac and deputy for Redon, he replaced a former manor visible on the cadastres of 1818 and 1843. Its complex design combines two T-shaped buildings, flanked by dissymmetric pavilions and towers, with sandstone facades and limestone decorations. The interior retains its original distribution, including a white stone staircase, a panelled dining room, and a richly decorated polygonal living room.
The estate extends over a park lined with a forest housing four quartzite menhirs dated between -5000 and -2200. Nearby, a round chapel (former dovecote reconverted), outbuildings ( stables, garages, housing) and a contemporary farm model, called The Cabinet, complete the whole. The castle, inscribed in the Historical Monuments since 2010, and partially protected in 2016, illustrates the aristocratic architecture of the late 19th century, mixing technical modernity (functional load-mount) and historical heritage.
The protected elements include the house, terraces, chapel, outbuildings, park with its aisles and water rooms, as well as megaliths and Cabinet farm. Despite some minor additions (a veranda in the east), the building and its interior decoration – with the exception of two rooms on the ground floor – remained intact. The site bears witness to both the fascist of the Breton land bourgeoisie and the persistence of prehistoric traces in a landscape shaped by history.
The model farm, built simultaneously, reflects the agricultural innovations of the time, while the park, with its menhirs, recalls the old occupation of the place. The inscription for the Historical Monuments also covers the fence walls, courtyards, and gardens of the farm, highlighting the heritage coherence of the whole. Today, Brossay Castle remains a remarkable example of integration between neo-Renaissance architecture, rural heritage, and archaeological remains.
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