What is a motte castrale?

A motte castrale is an earthen fortification, typically conical in shape, built during the Middle Ages to control and defend a territory. It was often surrounded by a ditch and could support wooden or stone structures at its summit.

Can visitors climb Kergorlay's motte?

The motte is a modified earthwork and is freely accessible. Visitors can explore the site and reach the summit platform to observe construction traces and the surrounding ditch.

When was Kergorlay's motte built?

This fortification dates to the Middle Ages, likely the central medieval period, though no archaeological excavation has established a precise construction date.

Kergorlay Motte

Motreff

Access

No visits on recordNo opening hours or ticketing found

Where: Motreff

To make a day of it

Open within 20 km

Manoir et calvaire de MinguionnetOpen to visitors15 km

Sleep nearby

Motte castrale de Kergorlay stands in Motreff (Finistère), in the Bretagne region of France. The building is registered as a historic monument (dating recorded in the Mérimée database: Milieu du Middle Ages). The building is privately owned and no visits are on record.

Kergorlay's motte, also known as Ar C'hastel, is a medieval earthwork standing above a small Finistère hamlet. This truncated cone-shaped mound preserves remains from its period of use as a defensive site: traces of stone structures and the outline of a deep ditch that once surrounded it are still visible.

What to know

The mound stands approximately 10 metres high, with a 50-metre base diameter and a levelled summit measuring about 20 metres across.
A dry ditch encircles the entire structure, measuring 2.5 to 3 metres deep and 5 metres wide at its base.
The cleared summit platform allows observation of remaining dry stone construction traces from the site.
Located in countryside, this monument is freely accessible as an archaeological and historical landmark.

Where this château is

Motreff · Finistère · Bretagne

Map of the area around Motte castrale de Kergorlay

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This châteauChâteaux within 40 km

Address

Kergorlay, 22340 Plévin

Directions open from wherever you are, by car or public transport.

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Heritage status: Registered historic monument (inscrit); Mérimée record PA29000016
Period of construction: Milieu du Middle Ages

Frequently asked

What is a motte castrale?: A motte castrale is an earthen fortification, typically conical in shape, built during the Middle Ages to control and defend a territory. It was often surrounded by a ditch and could support wooden or stone structures at its summit.
Can visitors climb Kergorlay's motte?: The motte is a modified earthwork and is freely accessible. Visitors can explore the site and reach the summit platform to observe construction traces and the surrounding ditch.
When was Kergorlay's motte built?: This fortification dates to the Middle Ages, likely the central medieval period, though no archaeological excavation has established a precise construction date.