Meux Castle

Rebuilt at the end of the Hundred Years' War on the ruins of a medieval fortress, this manor-farm, surrounded by its outbuildings, typical of western France, boasts Renaissance architecture. Features include a stair tower adorned with the Saintongeais "cagouille" (a type of snail), large fireplaces of sculpted white stone, and simply decorated mullioned windows. From the 15th to the 18th centuries, the Chesnel family were lords of Meux and provided the king with distinguished captains, two knights of the Order of Malta, and a wife for Pierre Du Gua, Lord of Mons, founder of Quebec City along with his lieutenant, Saint-Étienne Champlain.