Château de Grillemont at La Chapelle-Blanche-Saint-Martin.

The château at La Chapelle-Blanche-Saint-Martin has medieval origins, although much of what stands today dates from later rebuilding. In 1464, Bertrand de Lescoët acquired Grillemont and transformed it into a substantial fortress. In the 18th century, François Balthazar Dangé d'Orsay remodelled it as a more comfortable residence, removing the medieval keep and opening up the buildings with much larger windows.

There is a particularly good story attached to those alterations. Local tradition says that Dangé d'Orsay ordered as many windows and doors as there are days in the year to be created in the château. The actual number is thought to have been 97 but the story has survived.

Grillemont also had an extraordinary wartime history. During the Second World War it was successively used by the evacuated French Ministry of Commerce, occupied by German forces and later used as a prison. 846 people were held there between 1941 and 1943.

In 1850, the castle was bought by Gérasime Lecointre, the great-great-grandfather of the current owner. The castle was empty, as the previous owner had gone bankrupt and sold all the furniture.The family then had to work at returning it to a habitable residence.

Official website.

Happy Monday in the Loire Valley!

“Each château tells a story — of kings, of artists and of the dream of France itself.”

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Part of the “Châteaux of the Loire” Series

Every Monday, we explore one of the Loire Valley's legendary châteaux — from royal residences to riverside retreats — each revealing a different chapter of the region's story.

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