Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Saint-Cast, located in Saint-Cast-le-Guildo in the Côtes-d'Armor, is now extinct. Only the farm of Val Saint-Rieul, with its dependencies of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, attests to its past existence. This architectural ensemble, built in shale and granite, includes a dwelling, a barn, a supply and a pig house, reflecting a typical agricultural structure of the period.

The former castle originally belonged to the Gouyon de Beaucorps, local lords residing in the Manor de la Vieuville. In the mid-18th century, it became the property of the Duke of Valentinois. A record of 1750 gives an alarming picture: beams to be replaced, floors to be redone, windows and doors to be changed, and 4,000 slates missing. These details reveal a building in sharp decline, despite its seigneurial importance.

At the end of the 18th century, the castle passed into the hands of the Duke of Montmorency before being confiscated as a national property. The dependencies mentioned in the archives included a supply, a dovecote, the mill of Anne, and several estates (Val Saint-Rieul, Chaffaut, Garde, etc.). These elements illustrate the extent of the seigneury of Beaucorps, whose castle was the administrative and symbolic heart.

Today, the site is listed in the general inventory of cultural heritage. Although the castle has disappeared, the Val Saint-Rieul farm and its related buildings offer a concrete overview of the seigneurial and agricultural organization of Brittany of Enlightenment, marking the local historical landscape.

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