Château de Saint-Mesmin

Saint-André-sur-Sèvre, France

Pierre de Montfaucon built the Château de Saint-Mesmin around 1370. In the Middle Ages, the castle was surrounded by water moats. The Montfaucon family fortified the castle by adding the imposing keep crowned with a walkway. It is then accessed by a drawbridge.

This castle was besieged only once in the Middle Ages. Later it was besieged during the French Revolution in 1796. Today Château de Saint-Mesmin is open to the public.

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Details

Founded: c. 1370
Category: Castles and fortifications in France
Historical period: Valois Dynasty and Hundred Year's War (France)

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Corinne Martin (15 months ago)
Absolutely great for kids as they've organised a treasure hunt and storytellers. Very nice medieval castle, away from main tourist area.
Matt Davis (15 months ago)
Excellent half day out and value for money. The staff were brilliant, spoke good English (but don't mention you are from England) and were in costume supporting and providing entertainment. They also had an Escape Room type challenge (takes about an hour), included in the entrance price, with instructions in English also.
Stella Xu (16 months ago)
The castle of Saint Mesmin back in the medieval times is located at 30mn from Puy du Fou (a traditional French history theme park that provides 26 main Cinéscénie shows). I spent a great time there, a lovely little Saturday afternoon out. It does not catch too much attention in Asia, yet. I really appreciate they gave me a sense of history. The staff spoke amazing French so you could really take it as a walkthrough experience in the castle, reimagine the past and better understand the conditions of the present. I put on their medieval helmet, left to wander among the floors and encountered different rooms, paused in front of their hand sewing stitches, and “me before you” movie scene suddenly popped into my mind. I also spotted many traditional French board games that made this castle incorporates diverse historical influences. The view from the tower was worthwhile as well. The lady was about to explain how to play the games, and she saw me as I stepped into the room. “Mais que faites-vous ici ?” Then I continued my movie wander, we will not sink together I promise. Bisous.
Emma Jones (2 years ago)
Sweet little castle, just big enough for a morning or afternoon visit. Very interesting and educational with the actors giving talks in some of the rooms. They were enthusiastic and knowledgeable. My son enjoyed the little quiz map as we went around but it's definitely not just for kids as some of the answers were tricky and we actually couldn't complete it. Outside the selection of wooden games were really fun and one of our favourite things. The gift shop was also really nice and my son has enjoyed his cross bow that he purchased since returning home..
Stephen Taylor (2 years ago)
Fantastic castle, brought to life by the efforts of the fantastic guides and staff, who were great at explaining the history and castle life to both French and English audiences. We were there for the Fantastique Animal en Musique, our children (aged 6 & 9) loved it, especially solving the puzzles to open up the treasure chest.
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