Our ancestors made that decision for us and we decided to carry on the tradition. The Farcy family settled in the Château de la Villedubois in 1647, halfway between the Parliament of Brittany in Rennes, which they sat on, and the forges of Paimpont in the Brocéliande Forest, which they started in 1653. Thirteen generations have followed on from one another in this house, making it a fabulous family inheritance, which we must keep up and pass on to the next generations!
Even before Jacques Annibal acquired the castle in 1647, the building had been a landmark in the region for 150 years. The building has undergone several transformations over the centuries, all the while keeping a beautiful harmony that has earned it the right to be listed as a historical monument along with the seventeen-hectare park surrounding it. From the 16th century dovecote to the chapel taken over after the family’s conversion to Catholicism at the end of the 17th century, passing by medieval sandpits, the Château de la Villedubois is full of curiosities will delight historical architecture enthusiasts or anyone who simply loves beautiful houses. Once inside the house, you will discover the family history through the paintings of the different people who lived there, or the magnificent library tower built at the beginning of the 20th century and finely decorated by the Jobbé Duval brothers, which houses all of the family and house archives in addition to a large collection of ancient books.
Squires of the King, Governor of Vitré, President of the Parliament of Brittany, Masters of the Paimpont forges, historically the Farcy family was a very influential family in the Breton region. In 1647, Jacques Annibal de Farcy acquired the castle of Villedubois from the Huchet de la Bédoyère family, thus creating a new branch of the family, the Farcy de la Villedubois. Of the seven lines created at that time by the seven Farcy brothers, only two still remain today. Around 1870, Louis de Farcy decided to majorly renovate and reorganize the building. We owe the house’s current elegant but simple 19th century appearance to him, as well as its romantic and natural English-style grounds. The following generations had their share of bad surprises during the wars and they tried to maintain the property as best they could despite this. My husband and I joined my parents at the Villedubois in 2017, and we set out to restore the old building to its former glory together. We then opened up our bed and breakfast in 2019 so we could share this place bursting with history with visitors from all over the world.
We offer guests a quiet, authentic, comfortable stay within our family and do our best to provide them with a memorable experience. Our guests can take full advantage of the different rooms. They can have a cup of tea, an aperitif or read by the fire in the large living room. There is a grand piano that anyone can use. We do everything from the heart and that is very important for us. We feel that welcoming guests into our home is the best way to bring part of history to life.
To start with there are already the house’s 17 hectares of grounds which you can stroll in, read in or run about in. The Brocéliande area has some of the most beautiful villages in France and is full of legends. There is of course its mythical forest which Chrétien de Troyes depicted in his novel about King Arthur at the end of the 12th century. The Manoir de l'Automobile et des Vieux Métiers de Lohéac is one of the most beautiful museums in Europe dedicated to the history of the car with 15,000 m2 of exhibition space in a 17th century manor house. The Bourbansais zoo, its 16th and 17th century castle and gardens which are classified as historical monuments, is an exceptional location. You can admire over 60 species of animals which are running semi-free and living in natural surroundings. Bourbansais belongs to a new generation of animal parks which want to preserve different species and natural environments.
The living rooms and reception rooms on the first floor are all available for guests to wander through as they please. There are five bedrooms upstairs, each with its own bathroom. Two of them are family rooms that can accommodate up to four people.
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