Château de Pirou

Pirou, France

The Château de Pirou was initially built of wood, then of stone in the 12th century and belonged to the lords of Pirou. It was constructed near the shore of the English Channel, and used to watch upon the west coast of the Cotentin, to protect the town of Coutances.

The castle was transformed into Lord Adnans penthouse during the 18th century, and then began to deteriorate. The Restoration was begun on the initiative of the abbot Marcel Lelégard (1925-1994).The castle now lies in the middle of an artificial pond. The drawbridge has been replaced by a stone bridge. The curtain walls from the 12th century enclose two residential houses from two different periods (16th and 18th centuries).

A famous legend of Normandy originates in the castle at Pirou. Besieged by the Normans, the lord of Pirou and his family transformed themselves into geese, using an old wizard’s book, in order to escape during the assault. But a few days later, when they tried to read the reverse spell to recover their human shapes, they realized that the wizard’s book had burnt with the castle, set on fire by the Normans. This is why wild geese stop in the Cotentin each year in March, during their annual migration.

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Address

Le Château 1, Pirou, France
See all sites in Pirou

Details

Founded: 12th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in France
Historical period: Birth of Capetian dynasty (France)

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Oliver Harvey (8 months ago)
Definitely worth a trip. We had Spanish-language guided tours, but we also received a French-language guidebook for our self-guided tour, which was very convenient. Just under 3 hours is plenty of time to spend here in the morning, allowing you to take your time and peruse all of the informational plaques. This location houses an equally beautiful tapestry that is akin to the Bayeux Tapestry.
Renee Iseson (2 years ago)
Well worth a visit. Guided tours in French but was given an English guide book to take along on our self guided tour which was quite nice. You can easily spend an hour and half here in the morning and have enough time to linger and read all the info plaques. A similar tapestry to the Bayeux Tapestry is housed here and is just as lovely.
adrian burt (2 years ago)
Viking village event. The ambience of the chateau is quite magical. Best visited when it is less busy. When they organise big events the parking provisions are inadequate
Udo Neßhöver (3 years ago)
Beautiful place. We had the place amongst to ourselves in the off-season. Excellent bonus: Dogs are welcome!
Fiona Sampson (3 years ago)
A delightful small castle. This is only a short excursion,about an hour in total,but a very well preserved thousand year old castle. We particularly enjoyed seeing the tapestry, the same layout as the Bayeux tapestry, it was vibrant and an excellent tapestry!
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