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Origin and history

The castle of Keraveon, located in Erdeven in Morbihan, finds its origins in the 9th century as the seat of the seigneury of Keraveon. The first known building was attributed to Pierre de Talhouët in the 14th century, but it was in the 17th century that the castle took on its present form, before being profoundly redesigned in the 18th and 19th centuries. The site, owned by the Talhouët family until the 18th century, then passed into the hands of the Cambout de Coislin and was partially destroyed during the French Revolution.

In 1795 General Hoche used the castle as his headquarters in defence operations against Quiberon's landing. Fired by the Republican troops, he was bought in 1798 by Adelaide de Coislin de Botdéru, who began his restoration. In the 19th century, the five-storey tower was renovated (1822-1823) to serve as a home for coastal navigation, while the house body was extended and equipped with a gallery. The park, the commons and the moats are also being redeveloped, reflecting the neoclassical influence of the time.

The castle, surrounded by a triple enclosure (walls, moats, scauguettes), includes a seven-span main house, a five-storey rectangular dungeon, and a monumental portal inscribed in the Historic Monuments since 1941. The dovecote, also protected, dates from the 17th century. After belonging to the Viscount de Soussay in the 19th century, the estate became a luxury hotel in the 20th century before being abandoned in 1992. Today, part of the outbuildings, like the guardhouse, are run by the municipality.

The architecture of the castle combines medieval elements (donjon, scauguuettes) and neoclassical additions (galeries, frontons, common in arc of circle). The tower, renovated by the engineers of the Bridges and Chaussées, offers a lookout with a view to Lorient. The coat of arms of the Talhouët and Cambout families of Coislin, visible on the enclosures and the gate, recall the seigneurial history of the place. The park, open to the public, includes three bodies of water and alleys set in perspective by the monumental entrance.

Historical sources underline the strategic importance of the castle, especially during the Revolution, as well as its architectural evolution over the centuries. The cadastral plans of the 19th century attest to major changes, such as the integration of the dungeon into the house or the construction of neoclassical stables. In spite of the destructions and renovations, the castle of Keraveon remains a testimony of the social and architectural changes of Brittany, from the medieval to the modern era.

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