The first shaft of shovel met damp earth on a crisp spring morning in Brittany, and with it, history came alive. Beneath the quiet courtyard of a centuries-old mansion-turned-hotel in Vannes, archaeologists have uncovered the remains of a once-grand fortress: the 14th-century Château de l’Hermine. What emerged from the ground was not just stone and mortar, but a vivid portal into the life of dukes, craftsmen, and everyday dwellers of medieval Brittany.
A Castle Hidden Beneath A Hotel
When the Institut national de recherches archéologiques préventives (INRAP) began a preventive dig in 2023 beneath the courtyard and cellars of the 18th-century mansion known as the Hôtel Lagorce, little did the team expect the richness of what lay below.
What had long been assumed to be rubble, rewritten into later uses, instead revealed the footprint of a massive ducal residence built around 1380–1381 by John IV, Duke of Brittany.
The castle’s outline spans roughly 42 metres in length and 17 metres in width, with walls measuring up to 5.5 metres thick. What’s more, it was surrounded by a stone-lined moat and accessed by a bridge whose support piers still lie in the dug-out ground.
A Dwelling Of Power And Water
During the reign of John IV, also known as Jean IV the Conqueror, Brittany existed as an independent duchy marked by ambition and political strength.
As part of his effort to demonstrate authority and influence, he initiated an extensive construction program, and the Château de l’Hermine stood as one of its grandest achievements.
Historical research by INRAP indicates that the fortress was built in a single, continuous phase — evidence of the vast resources, manpower, and organizational skill invested in its creation.
Architecturally, the castle was an impressive combination of elegance and defense. Its design featured a porch-style layout, a prominent square tower on the façade, and a canal ingeniously directed beneath the structure to drive a mill.
Encircled by a wide moat, the site balanced practicality with grandeur. Remnants of sanitation systems and drainage channels discovered at both ends suggest that the building once rose three or even four stories high, reflecting the sophisticated engineering of its time.
Moments Of Daily Life Unearthed
It is one thing to expose walls, another to feel the heartbeat of the past. Within the castle’s depths, archaeologists found an astonishing array of personal objects preserved by the damp conditions of the moat and latrines. Jewelry, ball-shaped padlocks, rings, cooking pots and pans, wooden bowls, barrel fragments, and even coins from the 15th and 16th centuries were unearthed.
In a moated context, the findings shimmer with human stories: a ring lost in the watery ditch, a key dropped near the mill room, a frying pan left behind in a latrine chamber. Each artifact bridges the centuries, inviting reflection on the lives of noble and non-noble alike.
When A Castle Fades Into Memory
The Château de l’Hermine was not long lived in its original splendor. The fortress was actively used for less than a century before the ducal seat shifted to Nantes with Duke Francis II of Brittany in the 1470s.
Over the following centuries, the medieval structure fell into disrepair; its stones were recycled, its memory subsumed. By the 18th century, a mansion (Hôtel Lagorce) had been erected above its buried foundations, later hosting a hotel, law school, government offices — and now, an excavation site.
That our modern selves stand on the literal footprints of the past is both humbling and rare. The hotel you stroll through could conceal castle walls beneath your soles.
Why This Discovery Matters
In a world of rapid change, the slow unveiling of structures like this reminds us of continuity: of architecture, of community, and of the value of archaeology in renewing our connection to time. Here are three reasons why this find matters:
- Architectural Insight: The castle’s single-phase build, uniform stone modules, and thick walls speak of advanced site management and resource mobilisation in the late 14th century.
- Everyday Lives Revealed: The variety and context of everyday items — from jewelry lost in a moat to wooden bowl fragments preserved by moisture — offer unusually intimate glimpses into medieval life.
- A Lesson In Heritage: The layering of history beneath an 18th-century mansion reminds us that modern uses rest atop ancient stories. Preservation need not freeze a site; it can allow us to discover, integrate, and re-imagine our past while serving present needs.
Looking Forward With Hope
The excavators and local officials now face a new choice: how to honour the Château de l’Hermine’s legacy. Plans are already in motion to turn the site beneath the Hôtel Lagorce into a new venue for the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Vannes, allowing the public to walk where dukes once walked.
Imagine stepping across the preserved ground floor of the castle, pausing by the ceremonial staircase, tracing your fingers along the bridge piers over the moat. Such an experience could bridge centuries and awaken wonder in new generations.
As we gaze upon the fragments at the excavation site, our curiosity meets humility. The moat may have dried, the castle may lie unseen until now — but the lives of its builders and inhabitants ripple out into our time. In them, we find both inspiration and a call to stewardship: to preserve, study, and share.
When history quietly re-emerges beneath our feet, it offers more than archaeology — it gives us a mirror of resilience and a gentle invitation to look deeper. May the Château de l’Hermine’s rediscovery remind us that beneath many everyday places lies a story waiting to be told — and that by listening, we connect to the shared pulse of human time.
