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The property, consisting of more than 1,000 acres (4 km²), was acquired by a Bellay family member in 1025 but was seized by a Plantagenet during the second half of the 1100s. After the defeat of the English by King Philippe II, a Bellay descendant, Guillaume de Melun, had the massive high walls constructed with 13 interlocking towers and accessible by a fortified gateway.
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As a huge defensive fortress the construction created a virtual walled city. In the 15th century the interior of the complex was modernized with a new castle and a collegiate church with several residences for canons.
During the French Wars of Religion (1562‑1598) the town of Montreuil-Bellay was ransacked and burned but the sturdy fortress suffered little damage. Ownership of the castle changed several times including, through marriage, to the Cossé-Brissac family until the French Revolution when the castle was seized by the revolutionary government and used as a prison for women suspected of being royalists.
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In 1822 the property was acquired by Saumur businessman, Adrien Niveleau, who divided the huge property into rental units. In 1860 Niveleau’s daughter undertook occupancy and a major restoration campaign, redoing some of the rooms in the Troubadour style. Descendants of her husband’s nephew are the current owners of the property.
Montreuil