Château de Montreuil-Bellay

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Château de Montreuil-Bellay - reflections in Thouet River

The Château de Montreuil-Bellay, in the town of Montreuil-Bellay, département of Maine-et-Loire, France, was first built on the site of a Gallo-Roman village high on a hill on the banks of the Thouet River. It is listed as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture.

The property, consisting of more than 1,000 acres (4 km²), was acquired by a Bellay family member in 1025 but was seized by a Plantagenet during the second half of the 1100s. After the defeat of the English by Philip II, a Bellay descendant, Guillaume de Melun, had high, massive, walls constructed including 13 interlocking towers, with entry only via a fortified gateway.

During the French Wars of Religion (1562‑1598) the town of Montreuil-Bellay was ransacked and burned but the sturdy fortress suffered little damage. Ownership of the castle changed several times including, through marriage, to the Cossé-Brissac family. During the French Revolution the castle was seized by the revolutionary government and used as a prison for women suspected of being royalists.

In 1822 the property was acquired by Saumur businessman Adrien Niveleau, who divided the huge property into rental units. In 1860 Niveleau's daughter undertook occupancy and a major restoration campaign, redoing some of the rooms in the Troubadour style. Descendants of her husband’s nephew are the current owners of the property.

Nowadays, Château de Montreuil-Bellay is also the name of a premium wine made on the property.