Château de Beaufort

Château de Beaufort is an 18th-century residence overlooking the Beaufort pond in Plerguer, a small town in the Malouin area of Brittany, a short drive from Saint-Malo. The building now houses a community of Dominican nuns, but its story stretches back to the Middle Ages and includes several earlier structures built on the same spot.

Where does the name Beaufort come from?

The name blends the Latin words bellum (beautiful) and fortis (fortress) — roughly "the beautiful stronghold." The site carried this name well before the current building existed: the surrounding land had drawn interest from local lords since at least the 11th century. Sitting near the boundary between Breton and Norman territory, the area held real strategic value, with the ground around today's pond forming part of a wider defensive network guarding access to the coast.

What did the first castle look like?

The earliest structure was a 12th-century motte castle — an earthwork mound topped with a timber or stone stronghold. The land belonged to a family that took the name Beaufort, which is also where the village's name originates. In 1222, Alain de Beaufort donated the tithes of Taden to the monks of the Saint-Malo priory in Dinan, sealing the deed with his own seal — evidence that the family carried real weight in the region at the time.

By the 13th century, the estate had passed to the Chateaubriand family. Near the end of the 17th century it was sold to the Forsanz family, and later to the Gouyon family, lords of Touraude. The Gouyons would remain tied to Beaufort for the next two and a half centuries.

Why were there two different castles on the site?

A second castle went up at the end of the 16th century, positioned slightly further north, closer to the pond — on the ground where the south wing of today's château now stands. That earlier building didn't survive intact: the current château was rebuilt around 1780 by Luc-Jean Gouyon, who gave the residence the shape of a classical manor rather than a medieval fortress. Stone, timber, and the pond's water still combine into the harmonious setting that remains the site's main draw.

When did the castle become a monastery?

After the death of Marquis Xavier Louis Marie Félix Gouyon de Beaufort in 1945, the estate and its surrounding land passed to a religious congregation in 1950. In 1963, the building was handed to the Dominican sisters — four nuns arrived from the south of France under Father Mellet and founded the community now known as the Monastère Notre-Dame de Beaufort. The château has served as a convent ever since.

What is there to see today?

Around the Beaufort pond and the neighboring Mireloup pond lies roughly 100 hectares of woodland, crossed by walking and cycling loops. In 2019, the municipality added visitor infrastructure along the shore — tables, benches, and viewpoints — where the château's outline reflects in the water.

Frequently asked questions

Can visitors go inside Château de Beaufort? The building is a lived-in convent, so touring the interior isn't a standard option. Walking around the pond to view the château from outside, however, is open to everyone.

How far is Plerguer from Saint-Malo? Plerguer sits in the Malouin area, within about a fifteen-minute drive of Saint-Malo, making Beaufort an easy stop on a short trip from the coast.

Where did the name of the Notre-Dame de Beaufort monastery come from? The community kept the historic name of the site and château when the Dominican sisters took it over in 1963.

Has the original medieval castle survived? Not in its original form. The 12th-century motte castle and the later building from the end of the 16th century were both superseded by the current residence, rebuilt around 1780.