Once upon a time there was a beautiful and grand chateau built on a huge rock outcrop and it was called Rochefort-en-Terre. Construction was actually begun in the 12th century, but history was unkind to the Chateau and it fell into disrepair as a result of warring factions fighting over ownership of the property. Luckily for it however, it got rebuilt several times.unfortunately, it was also destroyed as often. Owners and enemies just couldn't work out the problems. The castle proprietor, because of its location, was able to charge tolls of travelers who needed to pass through Brittany. So, back and forth the the poor castle was battered and restored. But, but unluckily, the French Revolution really took its toll and destroyed all but the stables. And so it remained until the hero of this story appears in the late 1800's, early 1900's. Then, the remains were sold to an American painter by the name of Alfred Klots. He fell in love with Brittany and the idea of rebuilding the chateau, or at least part of it. He also married a very wealthy woman who let him indulge his dream. Apparently, he used the stone from the stables and purchased more from other chateaux destroyed during the Revolution, to build what currently exists today.
The building was supposedly quite elegant. ( I think you can see this in the photos of the building as it exists today.) When WWI began, Klots graciously turned the building over to the American Red Cross to care for wounded soldiers and after the fighting stopped, it became a place to treat probably what we now call PTSD. The history gets a bit murky here. Not sure when the Red Cross stopped using it or if Klots lost interest, but the Chateau was not maintained for many years until the town took over ownership three years ago. Now, there is a major fundraising campaign going on and reconstruction has begun on the Chateau and some of the former outer buildings. They also recently received over a million euro grant from the local government.
The Chateau, at this point, is not open to the public. It has to be made safe before it can welcome visitors. But, the grounds are lovely and the very old and large trees provide welcomed shade. The walking paths around the Chateau are well maintained and there are comfortable lawn chairs all through the large garden. There is also a museum on the property filled with eclectic pieces of art having nothing to do with the Chateau.
This is a perfect example of what I was discussing the other day about the French wanting to preserve their heritage. And because Klots was able to reconstruct using old stone, the Chateau is plaqued as a historical monument.
But aside from all this, we enjoyed viewing the Chateau and welcomed the comfortable chairs placed in the shade of the trees for our "plein air" picnic lunch.
I wonder what the place will look like when it has been restored and you can visit inside?
