List of castles in the Pays de la Loire explained

This list of castles in the Pays de la Loire is a list of medieval castles or château forts in the region in western France.

Links in italics are links to articles in the French Wikipedia.

Loire-Atlantique

Name	Date	Condition	Image	Ownership / Access	Notes
Château d'Ancenis	140115th century	Substantially intact
Château de Blain	120113-16th century	Substantially intact			Remodelled 16th century.
Château de la Bretesche	140115th century	Reconstructed			Reconstructed 19th century
Château de Careil	130114-16th century	Substantially intact
Château des ducs de Bretagne	14661466	Restored		Ville de Nantes	Houses Nantes History Museum.
Château de Châteaubriant	100111-16th century	Intact			Medieval castle remodelled as Renaissance château.
Château de Clisson	120113-15th century	Ruins
Château de la Motte-Glain	140115-17th century	Substantially intact			Remodelled 17th century.
Château de Pornic	110112-15th century	Restored		Private	Restored 19th century, belonged to Gilles de Rais in 15th century.
Château de Ranrouët	110112th century	Ruins

Maine-et-Loire

Name	Date	Condition	Image	Ownership / Access	Notes
Château d'Angers	120113th century	Substantially intact		City of Angers	Walls nearly 2000feet in circumference, incorporating 17 towers originally 130feet high.
Château de Baugé	140115th century	Intact			Built as hunting lodge.
Château de Bourmont	140116-19th century	Intact and extended		Private	Extended in Neo-Gothic style
Château de Brissac	140115-17th century	Rebuilt		Private	Damaged during French Wars of Religion, rebuilt 1611 in baroque style.
Château de Champtocé	120113-16th century	Ruins
Château de Montreuil-Bellay	100111-13th century	Substantially intact		Private	Divided into rental units in 1822, restored after 1860.
Château de Montsoreau	14551455	Restored		Département	Ruinous by late 19th century, restored, houses the Musée des Goums Marocains.
Château du Plessis-Bourré	14681468-1472	Intact		Private (open to the public)	Externally unchanged since the 15th century, working drawbridge.
Château du Plessis-Macé	120113-16th century	Intact			Converted to house 15th century.
Château de Pouancé	110112-13th century	Ruins			Considered second fortress of Anjou, after Angers.
Château de Saumur	110112th century	Restored		City of Saumur	Page for September in the Tres Riches Heures du Duc de Berry depicts the Chateau as it looked in 1410.
Château de la Turmelière	120113th century	Ruins			19th century building of same name nearby.

Mayenne

Name	Date	Condition	Image	Ownership / Access	Notes
Château du Bois Thibault	140115th century	Ruins		Commune de Lassay-les-Châteaux	On site of earlier castle.
Château de Bouillé	140115-16th century	Ruins
Château de la Courbe de Brée	120113-16th century	Substantially intact
Château de Courtaliéru	120113th century	Earthworks			Destroyed 15th century.
Château de Lassay	110112-15th century	Intact
Château de Laval	110112-15th century	Intact			Comprises medieval and 19th century buildings.
Château de Mayenne	100111-12th century	Intact		Museum	Incorporates remains of Carolingian palace of c.900.
Château de Montjean	140115th century	Ruins
Château de Mortiercrolles	110112-15th century	Substantially intact			Transitional style between Gothic and Renaissance.
Château de Sainte-Suzanne	100111th century	Ruins
Château de Thorigné-en-Charnie	100111-15th century	Ruins

Sarthe

Name	Date	Condition	Image	Ownership / Access	Notes
Château de Ballon	140115th century	Intact
Château de Bazouges	140115th century	Intact		Private
Château du Mans	100111-15th century	Ruins
Château de Courtanvaux	130114-15th century	Intact		Commune de Bessé-sur-Braye
Château de Sillé-le-Guillaume	140115-17th century	Intact		Commune	Remodelled 16-17th centuries.

Vendée

Name	Date	Condition	Image	Ownership / Access	Notes
Château d'Apremont	15341534-42	Substantially intact
Château de Commequiers	140115th century	Ruins
Château de Noirmoutier	110112th century	Restored		Commune
Château de Pouzauges	110112th century	Ruins
Château de Sainte-Hermine	120113-17th century
Château de Talmont	110112th century	Ruins
Château de Tiffauges	110112-16th century	Ruins			Known as Bluebeard's castle, associated with the notorious murderer, Gilles de Rais (1405 – 1440).
Tour Mélusine (keep) and fortified city	12th or 13th century	Fragment		Town of Vouvant	Keep and a lot of the wall enclosure, like the last city's gate, survives.
Tour de Moricq	140115th century	Substantially intact			Keep survives.
Vieux-château de l'Île d'Yeu	130114th century	Ruins

See also