Boutavent Castle () is in

Iffendic Iffendic (; ; Gallo: ''Fendic'') is a commune in the department of Ille-et-Vilaine in Brittany. It is located in the North West of France. Geography The towns nearby are Montfort-sur-Meu, La Nouaye, Bédée, Pleumeleuc, Saint-Gonlay, Ta ...

, department of

Ille-et-Vilaine Ille-et-Vilaine (; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Ill-e-Vilaenn'', ) is a departments of France, department of France, located in the regions of France, region of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in the northwest of the country. It is named a ...

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. The ruins of the castle, built in the Middle Ages, are on a natural rocky spur at the place name Boutavent. The land, surrounded by the forest of Paimpont and the pond of Boutavent, stretches over more than 2 hectares. It has been confirmed that during the 13th and 14th century, the castle belonged to the Lords of Montfort. It was also part of the goods of the family of Montfort with the Comper, Montfort, Montauban and Gaël castles. The history of the site goes in pair with legends. It is said that during the 7th century, the castle was the residence of Judicaël, King of

Domnonée Domnonée is the modern French form of Domnonia or Dumnonia (Latin for "Devon"; ), a historic kingdom in northern Armorica ( Brittany) founded by British immigrants from Dumnonia ( Sub-Roman Devon) fleeing the Saxon invasions of Britain in t ...

, and that it had been the place where the King and saint Éloi met. This last was sent to bring peace in a fight for borders between Bretons and French. The castle is structured into two classical elements: a courtyard and a barnyard, separated by a deep gap. Four buildings which could be guesthouses, are on both sides of the barnyard. The fortification and elements of the barnyard can still be seen. During the 16th century, the castle was in ruin. The circumstances of the destruction of the fortified site of Boutavent remain mysterious. Maybe it has been dismantled during the

War of succession A war of succession is a war prompted by a succession crisis in which two or more individuals claim to be the Order of succession, rightful successor to a demise of the Crown, deceased or deposition (politics), deposed monarch. The rivals are ...

(second half of the 14th century) or in 1373, during the campaign of

Bertrand du Guesclin Bertrand du Guesclin (; 1320 – 13 July 1380), nicknamed "The Eagle of Brittany" or "The Black Dog of Brocéliande", was a Breton knight and an important military commander on the French side during the Hundred Years' War. From 1370 to his ...

in Brittany, but nothing proves that the castle hasn't been inhabited then. Many local authors of the 19th century wrote about Boutavent, in particular writers like Poignand, Vigoland or Oresve. Even though these stories constitute rare stories about the site, it is impossible to retrace the entire history of the castle, as there are only a few sources. The castle has not been searched yet but many campaigns of consolidation of the relics took place since 2006. During these campaigns, archaeological material has been found (slate, ceramic, ground pavement and glazed tiles).
The site, controlled by

Montfort Community Montfort can refer to: Feudal fiefs and houses * House of Montfort, a French noble house, extinct in the 14th century * Lords, counts and dukes of Montfort-l'Amaury, fief originally held by the House of Montfort * House of Montfort-Brittany, de ...

, is open to the public since 2005. Maintaining works, strengthening the relics and promoting Boutavent, all three are done in collaboration with the ecomuseum of the district of Montfort, the Regional Archaeology Service and the Eureka Emplois Services welfare-to-work program.

External links

Website of the Tourist Office of the district of Montfort en Brocéliande
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boutavent Ruined castles in Brittany Buildings and structures in Ille-et-Vilaine