Guided tour of the ruins of the Turmelière, the birthplace of the poet Joachim Du Bellay by the volunteers of the Friends of the Little Lyré
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Musée J.Du Bellay For the first time, La Turmelière was mentioned in the Middle Ages in a text dating from 1285. An advanced bastion in Anjou of the fortress of Châteauceaux (now Champtoceaux), facing the castle of Ancenis on the other bank of the Loire, La Turmelière is, in the Middle Ages, a stronghold with undeniable military importance. Within the park of La Turmelière, still remain today the imposing ruins of this fortress.In the fifteenth century, Perceval Chabot, lord of the time, undertakes works to transform the castle into a manor.In 1504, the heir of La Turmelière, Renée Chabot, married Jean Du Bellay. One of their children, Joachim Du Bellay, became one of the most famous poets of the Renaissance.