Apremont castle
Welcome,
The Castle, property of the Municipality, is one of the most beautiful examples of Vendeen architecture. Renovation work on the courtyards and inside the castle began in 1978 and continues year by year.
It is financed by the State, the Regional Council and the County Council.
The Municipality uses entry money to help pay for the expenses of renovation.
Thank you for visiting. I hope that in a few years' time you will see the progress to which you have contributed.
The Mayor
Castle (XVIe s.) opened all days from 1er april to 21 sept. from 14h to 18h, in april, may and september and from 10h30 à 18h30 in june, july and august Phone 02.51.55.27.18 or Tourist Office
ASPER-MONS
Apremont is a very old settlement. Its name came from the Romans, who called it "Asper-Mons", or Bitter Mountain - and indeed it is set on hilly terrain.
The Romans established a camp on the left bank of the river Vie, which was the main route from the coast to the farming country inland.
THE CASTLE
From the 11th century an impregnable fortified town existed on the right bank of the Vie, approachable only from the north. The front entrance on the north side still exists, guarded by its two towers - though the drawbridge has disappeared. The south side was bounded by the river, the east and west by two very deep natural depressions in the land.
In 1534 Philippe CHABOT DE BRION - a childhood friend of the French KING FRANÇOIS I, and an Admiral in the French navy - built a Renaissance castle at Apremont. It was a wide mansion flanked by two round towers with a balcony around the top of each by which people could walk around them. The walls were decorated with a frieze of anchors and other emblems.
Admiral CHABOT DE BRION planned Apremont castle so that his guests could arrive by boat along the river Vie. Landing in the meadow at the foot of the castle, they could transfer to horseback and enter by the covered "horsemen's passage" (the only other one in France is at the chateau of Amboise, in the Loire valley) and be dazzled as they emerged into the light in the courtyard above by the elegant facade of the castle.
Later having fallen from favour; the Admiral had to exchange Apremont and other properties with JEAN DE BROSSE, Duke of Etampes and Count of Penthièvre, for the barony of Laigle, in Normandy.
JEAN DE BROSSE - having ruined himself paying for gifts and sumptuous parties for his wife, ANNE DE PISSELEU, Duchess of Etampes and a former favourite of the King - died childless, and Apremont passed to the LA TREMOILLE family, part of the great nobility of Poitou. Later, during the 17th century, it passed to the MONTMORENCY LUXEMBOURG family.
Finding the castle in a dilapidated state, and its timbers infested with woodworm, one of the members of this family - ANNA SIGISMOND, Duke of BOUTEVILLE - decided it was too expensive to repair and ordered its demolition in 1733. Many of the stones were sold, some being used to build the Pirmil bridge in Nantes.
HISTORY
In 1468, Apremont castle was besieged by 3,000 Bretons who wanted to free prisoners that were being held there. Once they had achieved their aim, the Bretons lifted the siege and devastated the surrounding country as far as Saint Gilles, on the coast.
The French king Louis XIII stayed at the Castle on the night of April 17, 1622, after a battle at nearby Riez, where he had defeated the Prince de SOUBISE and his Protestant troops.
Tour of the Castle
1 - NORTH ENTRANCE: The original positions of the drawbridge and of the two watch-towers can still be seen.
2 - TOWER WITH ARROW SLITS.
3 - WINE-PRESS ROOM: At present rented out for weddings and formal dinners, this was originally used for the division of harvests - half going to the lord (the landowner), the other half being retained by the tenant farmer.
4 - SCREW FROM THE WINE-PRESS: Symbol of the original function of this room where grapes used to be pressed and the resulting wine apportioned between landowner and tenant.
5 - THE WELL: The magnificent well, cut by hand from granite, provided water for the inhabitants of the Castle and also for their cattle.
6 - THE POSTERN GATE: Small hidden door created in the 18th century in the east wall to give the castle's inhabitants an exit directly on to the lower street of the town.
7 - THE EAST TERRACE : From here there is a magnificent view of Apremont's oldest street.
8 - THE CHAPEL : Built in the 16th century by Admiral BRION DE CHABOT, the chapel possesses a single nave, with two gothic windows and magnificent roof timbers. It opens onto the courtyard via a beautiful door surmounted by an arched and decorated pediment.
Inside, is a bust of PHILIPPE DE CHABOT and "the Apremont scroll " - a 16th-century plan for a canalisation of the river Vie. A masterpiece of precision and illustration; it was drawn up in 1542 by JEHAN LE FLORENTIN.
9 - THE EAST TOWER : A large circular tower 12 metres in diameter and 40 metres in height, it is built on a steep outcrop of rock, which forms a magnificent base. Each of its five floors has stone-mullioned windows that have lasted through the centuries; around the top runs a sentryway edged with decorative stone balustrades giving a wonderful view over the valley of the Vie.
This tower contained elegant accommodation, with wide bays allowing generous quantities of light to enter the rooms. However, the lord still wanted to retain a defensive system, and there remain about 10 oblong openings through which firearms could be used.
10 - THE WEST TOWER : Measuring 3 metres less in diameter than the east tower, this tower has the same decorative features but is at present undergoing renovation and cannot be visited.
11 - THE ICE HOUSE : This underground cave cut into the cliff is 20 metres in length and 3 metres high. It is entered by a stone passage, which has a channel cut for water to run off. The subterranean cold store was used for conserving perishable foodstuffs.
12 - WEST CURTAIN WALL: Remains of the defensive wall, with sentryway.
13 - PANORAMA: Magnificent panoramic view over the river Vie and its surrounding countryside. From here you can see a ford - the Gué du Plan - by which people used to cross the river in olden times.
14 - THE WEST TERRACE : The terrace has a pleasant garden (at present undergoing restoration).
15 - THE SOUTH TERRACE: Overlooks the meadow and the river Vie, 20 metres below (at present undergoing restoration
16 - THE HORSEMEN'S PASSAGE: From the bottom of the west tower the visitor enters this vast tunnel, 5 to 6 metres in height, tall enough for a man to ride along on horseback. The lower part is cut into solid rock, and the higher part is lined with stone. The tunnel leads down to the valley level, where a gateway gives access to the meadow alongside the river Vie.
