Château de Combourg
Château de Combourg is a medieval castle in the commune of Combourg in the Ille-et-Vilaine département of Brittany, France.
The castle stands on a small hill next to Lac Tranquille (Lake Tranquil) in the town of Combourg.
Privately owned, the Château de Combourg is listed as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture.
History
Construction of the first tower began in the 12th century by Guingené, bishop of Dol, a commune in Brittany, to protect its cathedral and the independence of Brittany. It was ruled by his brother Rivallon, the first Lord of Combourg.
The castle was made famous by the renowned writer and politician, Viscount François-René de Chateaubriand, whose family acquired the property in 1761, and it is where he spent part of his childhood. From his descriptions of the castle, it has come to be considered "the birthplace of Romanticism". Chateaubriand wrote in his Memoirs from Beyond the Grave, "I became what I am in the woods of Combourg."
In 1876, Count Geoffroy de Chateaubriand, grandson of François-René’s eldest brother (Jean-Baptiste de Chateaubriand), undertook its restoration. The project was led by the renowned French architect, Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, whose other restorations include the cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris, the abbey of Mont Saint-Michel, the medieval city of Carcassonne, and the castles of Pierrefonds and Vincennes.
See also
External links
- Ministry of Culture listing (French)
- Photos on Ministry of Culture website
- Château de Combourg http://www.chateau-combourg.com/
References
- www.culture.gouv.fr, accessed 5 Feb 2007 (French)
Coordinates: 48°24′28″N 1°45′14″W / 48.40778°N 1.75389°W