Château et Domaine de Quintin – Quintin Château

The department of Côtes d'Armor is well known for its abundance of exquisite gardens and elegant châteaux that are still owned and lived in by their ancestral families. Recently I toured Château et Domaine de Quintin (Quintin Château) in the ancient town of Quintin which has been a family home for the last 800 years. 

Château et Domaine de Quintin - Quintin Château

Nestled between Pontivy and Guingamp, and halfway between Rennes (110 kilometres) and Quimper (120 kilometres), Quintin is a centrally located town in the Côtes d'Armor department. Only 20 minutes drive from Saint-Brieuc, this vibrant beautiful Breton town holds lots of festivals and is a petite cité de Caractère that happily welcomes tourists.

I've wanted to see the château and have been visiting Quintin for years, but on occasions I’ve had somewhere else to be after visiting the town, or it has been winter, and the opening hours haven’t coordinated with my town visits.

Taking a Guided Tour of Quintin Château

Popping into the guardhouse to ask about tickets the other week, I was told I could only purchase a ticket to see the grounds as all interior tours had finished for the day. Better than nothing I thought so "un billet s'il vous plaît". As I was wandering the terraces, I heard a female voice calling out, and I turned to see the ticket seller enthusiastically waving me over. The guide had agreed to take me on an inside tour. "Merci beaucoup" I gratefully said and then waited in the courtyard for 10 minutes for the guide to collect me. 

I’d heard previously that the château is still occupied by the family who owns it, and this always makes for a more interesting tour. Imagining everyday life in a historical monument is rather fun don’t you think?

We were guided through the copper pot filled kitchen with enormous granite stove kitchen, panelled dining room with secret serving doors, vestibules, library and reception rooms. The tour continued on the ground floor into rooms filled with memorabilia relating to the château and its owners.

Diverse cutlery, silverware, baby christening and linen cloths, ancient card games and a vast display of family crockery and associated entertaining tableware were all displayed in glass cabinets. The sheer amount of preserved heirlooms was impressive. All photography is prohibited inside the château so I don’t have anything to share with you from the château’s interior.

After touring inside, I took a tour of the gardens and outbuildings. Here's what you'll see if you tour the gardens of Quintin Château.

The Intriguing History of the Quintin Château Owners

Marquess and Marchioness de la Moussaye 

Our history starts with the owners, the Marquess and Marchioness de la Moussaye who lived in the 17^th century château while their newer château on the lake was to be constructed. They commissioned architect Gabriel Androuët du Cerceauto to create a square château with a square courtyard on large elevated foundations. It was planned to be the largest classic château in Brittany. The building works were not completed but over the centuries additions were made to create the château you can see today. The older parts of the complex dating to the 17^th century are currently being restored, but the newer sections are open to the public via guided tours.

Now why did the building of the grandest château in Brittany stop you wonder? Well, it comes down to religion and some reputed odd behaviour by the Marquess. The La Moussaye family were fervently Protestant and they intended to make their estate in Quintin a stronghold of Protestantism in Brittany.

The Crown was unhappy with this and imposed several restrictions on the La Moussaye family. They were not allowed to employ Protestant staff, conduct any secret worship (makes me think they must have tried to do this) and they were not allowed to stay at Quintin more than four times per year. The La Moussaye family did not follow these directives and now this is where it becomes intriguing. The Marquess is said to have slapped the bishop of Saint Brieuc in anger because of these restrictions!

In revenge, the clergy demanded that the King command that all building work on the château be stopped. And this is exactly what happened. In 1666 King Louis XIV ordered all works to cease. You can even see unfinished chimney flues on the north façade and the solid rock on the western façade awaiting work to this day.

Marshal de Lorge

Bring in the next owner in the 18^th century. Marshal de Lorge was the nephew of the Marquess de la Moussaye and he lost no time in completing the unfinished walls. He based the administration of his estate in Quintin so he added several mezzanines and portioned large areas of the 17^th century château to create more space.

Choiseul-Praslin family

The next family to own the château were the Choiseul-Praslin family. It was this family that added the two turrets and spiral staircases (the far-right wing known as the “steward’s wing”), a lower wing which was the orangery, a granite stone stove and new stables.

The first view of the château you’ll get after existing the guardhouse is of an imposing symmetrical façade with small-paned windows, thick granite stonework and a slate roof.

The location of the complex is not by chance, rather it’s used the rocky spur that dominates the Gouët and overlooks the old Roman road linking Corseul to Carhaix.

Terraces overlooking the lake

The terraces overlook Quintin Lake which is feed by the Gouët River. The terraces now have small bushes around grassy squares bordered by ancient stones and rose bushes. Standing on the terraces you can look toward the 17th century château which is currently being restored, look back toward the 18th century château where the family currently live, and also over the old Roman road, lake and lakeside cafes.

The ‘bowling green’ of Quintin Château

At the rear of the château is the 'bowling green'. This style of garden is an ornamental space featuring a grassed lawn within a sunken garden, sometimes surrounded by a border. The French word “boulingrin” became popular under Louis XIV, and stems from the English word “bowling green”.

The formal gardens

The château’s gardens are listed as a French Historical Monument. They are a classic example of a traditional French formal garden with their order and symmetry. You’ll see the neat rows of hornbeams, lime trees pruned to form screens, box trees and lawns. These gardens have had a tumultuous life in modern times.

Due to their ancient age and the health of the gardens, the gardens were recreated in the 1990s. Sadly however after this recreation, the garden was vandalised and disease was found in the box trees. This meant that the box trees had to be removed and also the ancient row of huge lime trees had to be cut down. New trees have been planted and plans are underway to plant 3,000 new box trees to complete the recreation.

The Archive Tower

The Archive Tower of the château complex is one of the four former medieval gates to the town of Quintin with the lower section of the tower dating from the 15^th century. In the 18^th century a conical roof was installed to make more room in the higher floors. This space was created so that the château’s archives could be stored in four huge oak cabinets. A stove was installed and used to keep the air dry and protect the documents.

Over time the ‘pepper-pot turret’ medieval tower deteriorated and the archives were moved into the main château. Restoration work has been undertaken over the last few years and it’s expected that the turret will be opened to the public.

Notre Dame de Délivrance Basilica

Notre Dame de Délivrance Basilica holds the relics of the Holy Girdle, the Virgin Mary’s belt, which were brought back from the Crusades by the first lords of Quintin, the Boterels.

What you see today, the Neo-Gothic 19^th century basilica, was built on the site of the former collegiate church, and even before that, it was the site of the old castle chapel. The basilica is no longer a part of the privately owned château complex. It is the main church of the town. You can visit the basilica any time to take part in services or simply to take a look inside.

Events and Tours at Quintin Château

The château owners are actively restoring and maintaining their French Historical Monument and so open their complex to the public with guided tours of the interior and unescorted self-guided tours of the garden. Tickets are available at the front ticket office for the garden visits and château tours.

They also hold events which contribute to raising funds for the ongoing works of the château and its gardens. Who dunnit murder style evenings, candlelight dinners, nighttime tours, character book fairs, European craft days, the Weavers Festival and heritage days are all events held at the Quintin Château. Dates and reservations for these events are available on their website. 

Open every day from Easter to All Saint's Day at 2.30pm, 3.30pm and 4.30pm and during the months of July and August all day except between 12.30 and 2.30pm.

Official website - https://www.chateaudequintin.fr/en/

Pin to read again or share with friends

Related Posts