Far beyond the Moulin du Roch, the Roche-Moisan site reveals a feudal complex of remarkable importance on the scale of Brittany. This vast medieval site, which for a long time remained on the fringes of major historical studies, is now the subject of research that is profoundly renewing our understanding of it.
The motte, rising to a height of almost 18 metres, dominates an exceptional defensive system: double ditches, sections carved out of the rock, and vast bailey courtyards still visible in the landscape. The sheer scale of the site and its state of preservation make it a rare example of medieval seigneurial organisation in Brittany.
Located in a strategic area between Cornouaille and Vannetais, La Roche-Moisan bears the name of an ancient lineage, the Moisans, attested as early as the XIᵉ century. The site then went through the great upheavals of Breton history, notably the War of the Breton Succession, during which time it is said to have played a military role, frequented by major figures such as Jeanne de Flandre and Jeanne de Belleville.
Abandoned at the end of the Middle Ages in favour of new fortified centres, La Roche-Moisan, with its motte, mill, fisheries and bridge, has preserved an exceptional medieval ensemble that this study invites us to rediscover.
In the presence of Michel BRAND'HONNEUR, historian and Pauline RUEN, historian.
The motte, rising to a height of almost 18 metres, dominates an exceptional defensive system: double ditches, sections carved out of the rock, and vast bailey courtyards still visible in the landscape. The sheer scale of the site and its state of preservation make it a rare example of medieval seigneurial organisation in Brittany.
Located in a strategic area between Cornouaille and Vannetais, La Roche-Moisan bears the name of an ancient lineage, the Moisans, attested as early as the XIᵉ century. The site then went through the great upheavals of Breton history, notably the War of the Breton Succession, during which time it is said to have played a military role, frequented by major figures such as Jeanne de Flandre and Jeanne de Belleville.
Abandoned at the end of the Middle Ages in favour of new fortified centres, La Roche-Moisan, with its motte, mill, fisheries and bridge, has preserved an exceptional medieval ensemble that this study invites us to rediscover.
In the presence of Michel BRAND'HONNEUR, historian and Pauline RUEN, historian.
