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Pratulo is one of the oldest and most important castles in the
region. Its name comes from the Breton "Prat Thélo", meadow of Saint
Thélo in memory of this monk who came from England in the 6th century to
evangelize Brittany. His memory is perpetuated to the present day by the
troménie and the stained glass windows of the heart of the church of
Landeleau representing him on a deer.
Pratulo was built in 1420
by a cadet of the House of Douglas, a close relative of the then King of
Scotland, a Stuart. Sent with an army of 7,000 men to the aid of Charles
VII, in very bad shape against the English (time of Joan of Arc). This
young man proved to be a very good General since he won several battles
for the King of France. This one to thank him named him Duke of
Touraine. During his many travels, particularly in Brittany, he met the
Lady of Pratulo, fell in love with her, married her and lived there for
the rest of his life.
And it is to commemorate the memory of this
Scottish prince of the royal house of Stuart, who came to the aid of the
King of France, that the mill located 400 meters from the castle (on the
Aulne) still bears his name. Indeed, the green mill is the diminutive of
the Breton name "Mael Douglas" Douglas mill which has become over the
centuries Mael Glas, in French: green mill.
The dovecote, the
ramparts with loophole towers surrounded six hectares of formal gardens
at the time. The 53 meter bridge over the Aulne, as well as the dam
would also be his work.
The Douglases took root in Pratulo, but
in 1650 their descendants had only one daughter who married the Marquis
de Muzillac.
The Muzillac family transformed Pratulo, 18th
century style, in particular by enlarging the windows, whereas before
there were only small mullioned windows.
Being childless, the
Muzillacs sold the property in 1806 to the Jégou du Laz family, whose
descendants still live there.
Count Jégou du Laz, whose memory is
recalled at the canal house in Pont-Triffen, did a lot for the region.
In particular, he bought two barges to go up the limestone sand of the
harbor of Brest, which made it possible to introduce the treenal
rotation and make this region a rich breeding region.
In 1906,
Count Adolphe du Laz, of 10 children, built a castle which burned down
in 1946. A saying said that Pratulo and Trévarez (in Châteauneuf du Faou)
would be destroyed during a revolution, which unfortunately happened.
The family returned to this 600-year-old mansion with enormous
restoration work since for 40 years Pratulo had been abandoned and had
become a farm building.
In 1965, due to the damage caused by the
many walkers, the Laz family decided to create a campsite which still
exists today, which allowed the restoration of the property.
Since 1992, the current owners have continued the restoration to bring
this beautiful and old residence back to life.
Like his father
and his ancestors, they want more than anything to maintain this ancient
heritage of several centuries.
Pratulo will remain a beautiful
and old story of family… and love.
Notes:
• Guillaume (William) Douglas married Marguerite de
Pratulo and had a son, Jean (John) who was an 'Archer of the Scottish
Guard' of King Louis XI
See also:
• Douglas in France
• Douglas of Pratulo
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