Manoir de la Noë Briord

The Noë Briord manor house was built in 1888 by the architect J. Monfort. Before it became part of the new municipality of Villeneuve-en-Retz, it had been part of the village of Saint Cyr since the Revolution, whereas before it was part of the parish of Fresnay.

A renowned figure: François de Lanoue Bras de Fer :

This was the seat of the Seigneurie de la Noë Briord.
It is through family ties that we come to a famous character: François de Lanoue Bras de Fer (1531-1591). He was born and baptised at La Chapelle Basse Mer, but was raised Catholic by his family in Fresnay.
He went on to become a remarkable knight under Henry IV. When he remarried, he converted to Protestantism and found himself fighting against the Catholics. This was a heavy case of conscience for him.
Wounded, he died at the siege of Lamballe (22) in 1591.

Prisoner in another battle, during his internment, he wrote political and military speeches with three essential themes for each civilisation: war, education and authority. On learning of the death of his comrade in arms, Henri IV paid him this compliment: "He was a great man of war, and even more so a great man of good".
It should be noted that the manor of La Noë Briord and its farms still came under the Bourgneuf castellany (castellany: seigneury and jurisdiction of a lord castellan).


La Noë Briord :

The seigneury of La Noë Briord goes back a long way, as we know that when the church of Saint-Cyr-en-Retz was built in 1252, a special entrance was already reserved for its masters.
At that time, it had a vast estate, with fief, woods and marshes, which extended for the most part into the present-day commune of Fresnay. All that remains of this feudal building are a few sections of wall to the north of the manor house.

In the 17th century, the castle belonged to the Lord of La Salle en Fresnay. It was therefore not built on the ruins of the medieval castle.

Later, an elegant ashlar building dating from the late 19th century stood in the middle of a small circular park with a pond.
The Noë Briord manor house, built in 1888, was designed by the architect Jules Monfort.

Privately owned, the manor house is now used as tourist accommodation (Gites de France) in Villeneuve-en-Retz.



The little extra: you can see the building surrounded by its green space on a walk along the Le Bocage circuit, starting from the nearby Saint-Cyr-en-Retz orientation table, which offers a great view of the Marais Breton Vendéen.