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Origin and history

Ganne Castle is a former 11th and 12th century castle in La Pommeraye, Calvados, Normandy. Its remains, acquired by the departmental council in 2003, have been the subject of archaeological excavations since 2004. The site, originally named Château de La Pommeraye, was renamed in the 18th century with reference to Ganelon, the legendary character of Roland's Song, although this link is a 19th century romantic invention.

The castle consists of three successive enclosures: a first courtyard of 8,000 m2, a second courtyard with a castral chapel, a well and residential buildings, and an oval high courtyard protected by a 4.5 m deep ditch. The excavations revealed rare architectural elements for the time, such as stained windows and murals in the chapel, dated 1167.

Originally owned by the lords of La Pommeraye, the castle was confiscated in 1180 by Henry II Plantagenet, King of England and Duke of Normandy, before being returned to the family of Fontaine in the 13th century. The storm of 1999 severely damaged the woods surrounding the ruins. The remains, which were listed as historical monuments in 2000, include buried elements and a tower in shale and limestone sandstone, characteristic of the 11th–12th centuries.

The castral chapel, first mentioned in 1167, was decorated with columns and stained glass, a sign of an ostentatious will. It was entrusted to the canons of the abbey of Val by Henry II of La Pommeraye. The site, transformed into a romantic park in the 19th century, also delivered traces of a 10th-century household building with a bread oven, testifying to an occupation prior to the stone construction.

The excavations led by Anne-Marie Flambard Héricher (2004–2011) revealed re-used carved stones and baptismal fonts added in the 13th century. The castle, strategic to control the road of Brittany, changed several times owners after the 14th century. Today, its surroundings are classified as sensitive natural spaces and are the subject of multidisciplinary studies.

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