And on my last wheel home, we came by the road D723 to avoid tolls and surprise another dandy in Champtocé-sur-Loire, and its former castle. I like to tell you about this again new find in my road warrior tours of the regions of Centre Val de Loire and Pays de la Loire or the Loire Valley!all together. Let me tell you a bit more about it ok.
The town of Champtocé-sur-Loire is located in the department of Maine-et-Loire, dept 49 in the Pays de la Loire region.
A bit of history tell us of the discovery of Carolingian sarcophagi that seems to prove the presence of a castle in the town from the 9C, while the first traces of the church date back to the 11C, Gilles de Montmorency Laval better known as Gilles de Rais was born in castle in 1404, He was educated there in 1415 as an orphan by his grandfather Jean de Craon.
The medieval castle, says of Gilles de Rais, was a knight and lord of Brittany, Anjou, Poitou, Maine and Angoumois. Active during the second phase of the Hundred Years’ War which mixed conflict against the Kingdom of England and civil war between the Armagnacs and the Burgundians, he joined the camp of King Charles VII and ended up sealing an alliance with his influential cousin, Grand Chamberlain Georges I de La Trémoille. Gilles de Rais is thus led to fight the English alongside Joan of Arc. He accompanied Joan of Arc from Blois to Paris, and promoted to Marshal after the Battle of Orléans in 1429. He was arrested in 1440 and judge to be hanged in Nantes on the same year, for alchemie (or Chemistry of the Middle Ages, which, instead of having for its object the study of the composition of bodies, sought the universal panacea and the transmutation of metals. Alchemy was the preparation of real chemistry.)!
The Château de Champtocé was a castle of medieval origin located in Champtocé-sur-Loire. It is known to have been one of the places of residence of Gilles de Rais. In the Middle Ages, the castle was the first stronghold of Anjou on the right bank of the Loire, the first line of defense against the Duchy of Brittany and above all, a very important toll. It was not until the 13C that the fortress of Champtocé took on its current form. The castle as it is known today consists of a châtelet, entry system, oriented towards the village. This consists of two doors, one cart, the other pedestrian. It was accessed after taking a fixed bridge, doubled as a drawbridge. The entrance is defended by a system of gunboats, and could be closed by a portcullis. The enclosure of the fortress consisted of eleven towers, of which only one, gutted, remains and rises facing the road. To the east, a postern, defended by deadlocks, provides access to the interior of underground rooms.
Even thus the castle is mostly in ruins it was imposing to see while passing by on the road D723, there it was and needed to stop to see it and read the panel of information there. One of the wonders of my belle France.
The town of Champtocé sur Loire on its heritage : https://www.champtoce.fr/d%C3%A9couvrir-champtoc%C3%A9-sur-loire/patrimoine/
From here full steam ahead to home in just a bit over 2 hours passing by Nantes towards Vannes, and then home. A wonderful road warrior trip that takes its end with this post for now. Champtocé sur Loire was a pleasant surprise indeed. Hope you have enjoyed them as I. Always looking forward for more, and there is a lot more in my belle France; I am working on it!!
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 