Clisson Castle

History of the castle

The castle of Clisson is perched on a spur dominating the valley of Sévre. Its oldest part is it keep-shell, on the part highest of the ground. Although usually allotted to XIIIe century, certain windows rather seems to go up in XIIe century. The first lords of the castle of Clisson occupied already the site at the beginning of XIe century. This polygonal plan was bordered of buildings including/understanding a large room, kitchens, vaults and apartments seigneuriaux. The access was done by large a châtelet mainly built-in in a large quadrangular keep of XIVe century, work of Olivier III of Clisson (death in 1343). It is residential tower of five stages, lit by narrow a rectangular and capped openings machicolation. A large surmounted cylindrical tower of a secondary tower of guet faces him and protects the southern part of the keep-shell. After 1420, the castle of Clisson was the ducal property and during the second part of XVe century, the old entry sudden of the modifications and the courtine were prolonged in direction of north and were supplemented by a weephole. For the same period, the castle was increased in the west by a new rectangular enclosure of almost one hundred meters length, armed with turns with casemates for artillery. At the end of XVe century or the beginning of XVIe century, false braies supplemented the southern frontage. When in 1491 Brittany lost its independence, the strategic importance of the castle of Clisson decreased. However, until the Revolution, the castle still took part in many military facts.