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Origin and history

The Château de la Bélinaye, located in Saint-Christophe-de-Valains (Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany), is an emblematic monument of the first half of the seventeenth century. Built in granite, it replaces a first 15th century castle with a room with fireplace. The family of La Bélinaye, owner since the 15th century, erected the present building in a characteristic Louis XIII style, with a central body topped by a keg roof and side pavilions. Its architecture, marked by bosses, triangular frontons and arc-de-circle windows, illustrates the "French rustic style", running from Henry II to the beginning of the 17th century.

The castle has been listed as a Historic Monument since September 25, 1968 for its facades and roofs. A Virginie Tulipier, who had been listed since 1943 and disappeared in 1969, testified to his history of American independence. The property, erected as a Viscount in 1681 for François de la Bélinaye, was a property of the seigneury of Fougères and exercised a right of high justice in Saint-Ouen-des-Alleux. During the Revolution, the castle, sold as a national good, barely escaped destruction. Its central staircase, its imperial dome and its anthropomorphic spike (perhaps representing Ceres) make it a rare example of Breton manors in Great Britain.

The building retains typical defensive and residential elements, such as a dovecote and the remains of a 17th century chapel, ruined in the late 19th century. The main house body, oriented east-west, is completed by a second building perpendicular to the south-west, renovated in the 19th century. Blue granite chains, hip roofs and tile chimneys reflect these changes. The castle, still owned by the same family for five centuries before the Revolution, symbolizes the local aristocratic anchor and architectural evolution between the Middle Ages and the modern era.

The site, surrounded by a park and a balustrade overlooking the courtyard of honour, combines functionality (kitchens on the ground floor, living rooms on the floors) and aesthetics. The modillons of the cornice, the pilasters surrounding the entrance door and the semicircular pediments of the skylights underline its refinement. Ranked for its heritage interest, the Château de la Bélinaye embodies both the Breton seigneurial heritage and the stylistic transitions between Renaissance and French classicism.

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