Château de Bessay

Situated on the limits of the bocage and the plaine at the confluence of the river Smagne and the River Lay in beautiful and peaceful countryside is the magnificent Château de Bessay.
The Château de Bessay is a group of buildings of differing architectural styles and ages that fit together to form a harmonious and utterly charming estate. Dating from the Renaissance with additions in the XV11 century this château was home to the Bessay family who were well connected and in favour with the Kings of France.
The Round tower, which is the centre piece of the Château, was built in 1577. It is an elegant 24 meter tower with a perimeter of 34 meters which was most probably built on the foundations of an ancient medieval fortress. It comprises 5 floors and a cellar, has magnificently decorated renaissance fireplaces, a spiral staircase of 100 steps and is surmounted by a machicoulis walkway. It was in this tower that the future Henry 1V stayed while visiting the area.
The Columbier Tower built in the 15th century is a squared pigeon house of enormous proportions, it originally had a domed roof but due to neglect this collapsed along with a large section of the main wall. The tower was restored in 2002 and still contains many of the original 3200 pigeon holes (putlogs). (and when you consider that) In medieval times you were only aloud to have one pigeon hole for every one hectare of land you owned, so this pigeon loft is an indication of just how large this estate was.
The other tower on this site is often referred to as the Pavilion, and it is typical of the medieval towers of the region.
The loges which join the towers together date from the 17th and 18th century. In 1866 a third floor was added to the loges with 12 stone windows and a slate roof giving the property a feeling of real wealth.
Habitation of the Château stopped in 1918 and the buildings fell into disrepair and by the 1980's it was almost a ruin. Thankfully the Château has now been restored to most of its former glory. The loges have been returned to their original two floors with a tiled roof and it is without doubt one of the nicest châteaux in the Vendée.


See images of the chateau Blessay

see Video of Chateau de Bessay

Open: 16th July to 29thAugust  everyday except Sundays & Wednesdays.
           15th 13h to 18h & 16th September 11h to 18h (2012)

Tarif. 4€


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