{"id":56535,"date":"2026-02-07T19:28:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-08T00:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/discovery-of-640-year-old-abandoned-castle-beneath-private-mansion-in-france-shocked-archaeologists\/07\/02\/2026\/"},"modified":"2026-02-07T19:28:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T00:28:00","slug":"discovery-of-640-year-old-abandoned-castle-beneath-private-mansion-in-france-shocked-archaeologists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/discovery-of-640-year-old-abandoned-castle-beneath-private-mansion-in-france-shocked-archaeologists\/07\/02\/2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Discovery of 640-Year-Old Abandoned Castle Beneath Private Mansion in France Shocked Archaeologists"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n<\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\">NEED TO KNOW<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"mb-4\">\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Archaeologists in France were surprised to unearth the ruins of the Ch\u00e2teau de l&#8217;Hermine, a castle built in the 1380s<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research found the castle beneath H\u00f4tel Lagorce in Vannes<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The castle belonged to Duke John IV of Brittany<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">A medieval castle built in the 1380s was unearthed in <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/travel\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:France;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">France<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Archaeologists were surprised to find the ruins of the Ch\u00e2teau de l&#8217;Hermine, a castle built by Duke John IV of Brittany in the 14th century, beneath the courtyard of private mansion H\u00f4tel Lagorce in Vannes in 2021.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Two years later in 2023, according to a press release from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.inrap.fr\/vannes-le-chateau-de-l-hermine-refait-surface-morbihan-17902\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research<\/a> (INRAP), excavations took place ahead of the construction of the Vannes Museum of Fine Arts to better understand the extent of the castle\u2019s remains.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong>Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for<a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/people-news-daily-newsletter-sign-up-8692701\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:\u00a0PEOPLE's free daily newsletter;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">\u00a0PEOPLE&#8217;s free daily newsletter<\/a>\u00a0to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cThe excavations have revealed the ducal residence and its ornate fa\u00e7ade, various rooms, and circulation areas, including several staircases.\u201d INRAP wrote in the release, translated from French. \u201cArchaeologists unexpectedly uncovered the ground floor of an imposing building, which they excavated to a height of one meter and which corresponds to the ducal residence.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<div style=\"max-height:none;overflow:visible\"><i>People working on the grounds of the 14th century castle in Vannes, France <\/i><\/p>\n<p>Emmanuelle Collado, Inrap<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">INRAP\u2019s description of the discovery continued, \u201cA central passageway connects the north gate, located in the facade facing the town, to another gate flanked by two large towers built on the city wall and identified on old maps, overlooking the outer moat.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The ground floor spanned 42 meters long and 17 meters wide with thick walls reaching as high as 5.6 meters high.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cDirectly bordered by a moat, it is flanked to the east by what can be described as a \u2018square tower,\u2019 \u201d INRAP noted, adding that archaeologists deduced that \u201cthe castle must therefore have had three or even four stories.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The excavations also uncovered well-preserved objects.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Well-preserved objects discovered with the castle in Vannes, France Emmanuelle Collado, Inrap\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"686\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/8cVwp62qrFpuHYdDpy6csg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY4NjtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/f5af87366246029041b9d996c077188e\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<div style=\"max-height:none;overflow:visible\"><i>Well-preserved objects discovered with the castle in Vannes, France <\/i><\/p>\n<p>Emmanuelle Collado, Inrap<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cThey yielded numerous objects related to daily life at the castle: coins, jewelry, and cooking utensils (pots, pans, roasting spits, etc.) dating from the 15th and 16th centuries, as well as several wooden items (bowls, barrel fragments, etc.) preserved thanks to the damp environment,\u201d INRAP said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The state of the remains indicate that \u201cJohn IV surrounded himself with the best engineers and craftsmen of the time,\u201d INRAP concluded.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Read the original article on <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/640-year-old-abandoned-castle-chateau-de-l-herminebeneath-discovered-beneath-mansion-11900713\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:People;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">People<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/articles\/discovery-640-old-abandoned-castle-233100467.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NEED TO KNOW Archaeologists in France were surprised to unearth the ruins of the Ch&acirc;teau de l&rsquo;Hermine, a castle built in the<br \/><button class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/discovery-of-640-year-old-abandoned-castle-beneath-private-mansion-in-france-shocked-archaeologists\/07\/02\/2026\/\">Read More &rsaquo;<\/a><\/button><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":56536,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/ThQzy7d2pNW8PketheJh9g--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyMDA7aD04MDA7Y2Y9d2VicA--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/ec2848fc2f9a5451aefe98c3466ceff4","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56535"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56535"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56535\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56536"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56535"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}