Château de Pont-l'Abbé

En un regard

Le château en bref

The Château des barons du Pont, in Pont-l'Abbé (Finistère), was built to guard the bridge that gave its name to a powerful feudal lineage, first the lords and then, from 1493, the barons du Pont. Besieged during the Wars of Religion in 1590, it was devastated by rebellious peasants during the Bonnets rouges revolt in 1675. Confiscated and sold at the Revolution, it was bought back by the municipality in 1836, which installed the town hall, courthouse, gendarmerie and school there, helping to preserve its last remnants. Today only an eastern tower from the 15th century and a 18th-century residential wing built on medieval foundations, still buried, survive; outbuildings, chapel, ramparts and drawbridge have disappeared, notably during the urbanisation of the 19th century. The château, now the town hall, also houses the Musée bigouden, devoted to the heritage and culture of the Pays bigouden.