The Château de Trécesson has featured in my project before, but not for sometime and not from this particular viewpoint. The first recorded construction on this site dates from 843; the present building was begun around 1440 by the Trécesson family. The moated château, which has its own private chapel - the Chapel of St, John - is still inhabited today. The oldest parts of the present building are the twin towers seen at the bottom of the entrance courtyard which comprises the estate workers dwellings and the stables. In front of the tower entrance doors is the bridge over the moat, which would have been a drawbridge in the past.
There are many stories and legends attaching to the château, of which the best known is the story of La Dame Blanche - The White Lady. Around 1750 a new bride was abducted on the night of her wedding (probably by her two brothers who were against the marriage) and buried alive in the grounds of the château. This wicked deed was witnessed by a poacher who informed the chatelaine of this heinous crime. Her grave was found at first light and she was disinterred still breathing, but died shortly afterwards without revealing the identity of her abductors. Her wedding dress and her bouquet rested on the altar of the chapel until the revolution as witness to her dreadful fate.
In the grey and dismal weather in which I shot this, the château seemed cloaked with the shame appropriate to such a deed.
For me, the POV adds a certain menace, with the forefront buildings keeping it at arms length. It's the small windows that give this an eerie quality, all seeing...without solicitude.
Wonderful Richard. The tale of the dreadful deed has a strange romance to it. The dress on the alter would have made some shot, as would the revolution. This is a gooden too, happy Christmas to you and Margaret..
Merry Christmas to you and yours, Richard. Thank you for all you great photos through the year - they always brighten my day - even when they're as gloomy as this tale.
I have seen lots of comments when birds or other animals do "mean" things but they can never top what we humans do. Knowing the history must make this a very foreboding place on a dreary day.
Wow, that's heavy, and these stern, grey stone buildings sure seem appropriate to a story like this!! I hope there were some good deeds associated with this chateau as well, or this could be the stuff nightmares are made of!
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