Château de Serrant
Château de Serrant is a Renaissance castle in the Loire Valley, about 15 kilometers west of Angers. It is the private home of the Prince of Merode, but visitors can tour it. The castle stands on the site of a medieval fortress.
From the 14th century, the Brie family owned the fortress. Charles de Brie began modernizing in the early 1500s, but lack of money stopped the work after the North Tower was finished.
The property changed hands several times until Guillaume Bautru bought it in 1636 and restarted the construction. He used Charles de Brie’s original plans and the same stones so the new parts matched the old ones. The central halls, two wings, and the South Tower were built, and the chapel was finished by Jules Hardouin-Mansart.
In 1749 the estate was sold to Antoine Walsh, a wealthy slave trader from Nantes with Irish Jacobite ancestry. The Walsh family redecorated the interior and added an English-style park, pavilions, and a grand gate with their crest.
The château passed to the La Trémoïlle family in 1830 through marriage. The Duke of La Trémoïlle had Luciene Magne restore the castle and add features such as parapets and cornices. In the 20th century the property was modernized with cellars and electricity. Today the owners are descendants of Prince Jean Charles de Ligne-La Trémoïlle (1911–2005). His elder daughter Hedwige is married to Prince Charles-Guillaume de Merode, 14th Marquess of Westerlo and 3rd Prince of Merode; their son is Prince Emmanuel de Merode.
The castle is known for its library of about 12,000 books, the vaulted halls that once held the kitchens, and Napoleon’s bedroom, which he used for only two hours.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 19:05 (CET).