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--> YouTube-Generated Transcript <--
· The Castle With a Secret
0:00 · [Music]
0:09 · We are at a very special chateau in the
0:12 · Lir Valley, Chateau de Brris. And it has
0:16 · its genesis all the way back to around a
0:18 · thousand years ago. What makes this
0:20 · chateau so unique is not what you see
0:24 · above ground, although that's amazing,
0:26 · but it's what you see almost 20 m down
0:29 · below.
0:31 · [Music]
0:36 · There is a whole chateau underground and
0:40 · we're going to take you on a journey to
0:43 · look at the largest underground fortress
0:46 · in all of Europe.
0:50 · [Music]
1:00 · At first glance, Bris plays the part.
1:03 · Creamy Tufa stone, sharp Renaissance
1:06 · lines. But this isn't just a castle.
1:09 · It's a Trojan horse. Noble on the
1:11 · outside, savage underneath. They don't
1:14 · build them like this anymore. In fact,
1:16 · they didn't build any like this to begin
1:18 · with.
1:21 · This castle hides a secret in its gut. A
1:24 · network of caves, tunnels, escape
1:26 · routes, and underground lives carved
1:28 · into limestone. A castle underneath a
1:31 · castle. One for the kings, the other for
1:34 · the crisis. It might not surprise you
1:36 · that no one ever managed to seize the
1:38 · castle. And that's most likely because
1:40 · of the vast sprawl of troglodite tunnels
1:43 · below that made enemies think twice.
1:47 · It was well worth it to build a
1:49 · deterrent to protect the treasure that
1:51 · sits on the surface. The oldest parts of
1:53 · the chateau date back to the 11th
1:55 · century. But like anything ancient and
1:58 · important in France, it's been passed
2:00 · down, broken apart, stitched together
2:03 · again like a well-worn cloak. Over time,
2:07 · it became the stronghold of the Drew
2:09 · Brees family. Then by marriage, the
2:11 · Colbears, the right-hand man of Louis
2:14 · the 14th, took over. The chateau, as we
2:17 · see it today, took shape in the 16th and
2:19 · 17th centuries, a blend of Gothic bones
2:22 · and Renaissance frills.
2:28 · You know, we know we're supposed to go
2:29 · that way, but it's always intriguing to
· Inside the Grand Salons
2:32 · look at spots down here that are not
2:35 · accessible, but you have to wonder,
2:42 · more inaccessible
2:45 · areas. This place has been in the hands
2:48 · of power for centuries, and power
2:50 · doesn't like to look vulnerable.
2:53 · Inside the salons are classic
2:55 · aristocratic theater
2:58 · painted beams in ultramarine golden
3:01 · floor dele oak woodwork carved into
3:04 · gothic lancets and crowned with floral
3:07 · finials. The trouidor style furniture a
3:10 · sort of medieval play for 19th century
3:13 · aristocrats who romanticize chivalry
3:15 · more than they practiced it. This is the
3:17 · apartment of the Drew Brees. It's less
3:20 · of a living space, more of a statement.
3:23 · A room that whispers, "We survived
3:25 · revolutions and we still have our
3:27 · dignity."
3:29 · Some of the amazing detail on the
3:31 · ceilings and the woodwork. A lot of
3:34 · restoration has gone into this
3:36 · particular section of the chateau. It is
3:39 · just stunning. Tucked in the corner is a
3:42 · room so small you could miss it if it
3:44 · weren't screaming in Neo Renaissance
3:46 · bravado. The bishop's study is a jewel
3:49 · box of fake marble, painted kings, and a
3:52 · lineage they made up but never painted
3:55 · over. Isn't this absolutely stunning?
4:00 · This is a private prayer area or a study
4:02 · off the bishop's room. There was plans
4:04 · at one point to connect a chapel here,
4:07 · but they were never completed. But you
4:10 · see, you can imagine what it what would
4:13 · it looked like. Incredible detail.
4:20 · Down the hall is the Rishlu room, named
4:22 · for Arman Duplesi, Cardinal Rishlu, the
4:25 · king's right hand and master political
4:27 · manipulator. The Rishelu room blends
4:30 · 16th century bones with 19th century
4:32 · tribute, red deamasque walls, a grand
4:35 · fireplace, and the echoes of a family
4:37 · entangled in royal service, rebellion,
4:40 · and quiet tragedy. Clare Clemens, once a
4:43 · princess, fought for her husband during
4:45 · the Frond and was left to die in
4:47 · obscurity. History doesn't always
4:49 · remember the ones who loved hardest, but
4:51 · sometimes the wallpaper does.
4:56 · Wow, what a fantastic room. This was a
5:00 · room designed for Bishop Rishelu
5:03 · and uh he did actually stay here and it
5:06 · was a very special accommodations just
5:08 · for a very powerful man in the 1600s in
5:12 · France. A few steps further into the
5:15 · hall is the portrait gallery where
5:17 · generations of Drew Bris men watch you
5:19 · from the walls like they're still
5:21 · waiting for the king to call. Most were
5:23 · grandmasters of ceremonies, basically
5:25 · the royal protocol enforcers, running
5:28 · the rituals of monarchy from Louis the
5:30 · 14th to Charles I 10th. They handed
5:32 · crowns, read speeches, arranged
5:34 · coronations, and occasionally got yelled
5:37 · at by revolutionaries. Here's one of the
5:39 · Bris family. This is the Marque de
5:42 · Brris, and he lived during 17 late 1700s
· Descending Into the Underground
5:46 · to early 1800s.
5:49 · What a magnificent portrait. Another
5:52 · incredible room. This great hall took
5:55 · actually
5:57 · 150 years to complete. It is
5:59 · magnificent.
6:01 · Here we are at the end of the great hall
6:04 · and you see the continuation on the
6:06 · cornice and on the walls and in the ways
6:08 · coating the trumpy which the French are
6:11 · famous for to give the illusion that
6:13 · this was actually high relief uh
6:16 · woodwork. But isn't it gorgeous? From
6:19 · embroidered chairs to carved out
6:21 · chambers, every chateau has a downstairs
6:24 · it doesn't brag about.
6:25 · You know, in a castle, one of our most
6:27 · favorite places to visit is anything
6:30 · underground, tunnels, secret passages
6:33 · and dungeons. Let's go take a look at
6:36 · where the dungeon used to exist.
6:38 · Not every chateau had a dungeon, but
6:40 · Bris built one deep enough to mean it.
6:42 · You look at the heavy doors that were uh
6:45 · locked. And this is one place if you
6:48 · walked in, you probably aren't going to
6:51 · come out.
6:54 · So this is the dungeon.
6:57 · [Music]
7:04 · Wow. Can you imagine?
7:08 · It's a pretty small space, but uh it is
7:12 · not a place that you would want to come
7:13 · to visit. It is fascinating to look at
7:16 · how these were constructed.
7:19 · So, here you are in a place that most
7:22 · tourists never see.
7:24 · Another dungeon cell
7:27 · and take a look. This is the beginning
7:28 · of the underground below Chateau De.
7:32 · Let's see what we can see.
7:35 · Another space
7:38 · designed for storage or another cell on
7:40 · the opposite side of the dungeon.
7:44 · You know, during a hot summer day, it's
7:46 · very cool in here, but that is not
7:48 · enough motivation for me to ever want to
7:50 · have been locked in here.
7:53 · The dungeon was there to keep certain
7:55 · impulses in check because deeper down,
7:57 · Breant business.
8:00 · Welcome to the underworld. While most
8:03 · Chateau had sellers, Bris went full
8:06 · mole. Over 3 km of underground passages,
8:09 · rooms, stables, bakeries, even a silk
8:13 · farm, all hollowed into soft tufa
8:16 · limestone. Think of it as a medieval
8:18 · panic room the size of a village. Some
· 3km of Medieval Tunnels
8:21 · of these caves date back to the 11th
8:23 · century, maybe earlier.
8:26 · This was a fortress before it was a
8:28 · chateau. During the Hundred Years War,
8:30 · when the English were playing house all
8:32 · over France, the people of Bre took the
8:35 · fight underground. You don't build
8:37 · tunnels like this for fun. You do it
8:39 · because you're afraid and smart.
8:43 · So, we're continuing to descend below
8:45 · Chateau de Brris. There's over 3
8:48 · kilometers of tunnels, rooms, secret
8:51 · passages, storage, all sorts of rooms
8:54 · that were designed very methodically. If
8:57 · you look at the arches, you see this
9:00 · wasn't just an ordinary tunnel. This was
9:02 · very methodical.
9:05 · There are so many passages and rooms.
9:09 · This room, this was designed under Bris
9:12 · in order to protect the inhabitants from
9:14 · sieges, from epidemics, uh from anything
9:18 · that they needed protection. In fact,
9:20 · these tunnels, there is only one
9:22 · entrance from the chateau and one
9:25 · entrance on the other side in order to
9:27 · minimize the ability for invaders or
9:31 · enemies to come in.
9:34 · So, here we are in another storage area
9:37 · underneath about 20 to 30 meters
9:39 · underneath Chateau de Brris. Each one of
9:42 · these openings were actually go all the
9:45 · way to the surface where they would
9:48 · store grain. You can see right through
9:50 · here there was actually an area that was
9:53 · designed for grain storage. And you see
9:56 · some there are light shafts. You'd think
9:58 · it would be dark underground all the
10:00 · time. There is certainly artificial
10:02 · light, but the reality is they were very
10:04 · thoughtful in designing light shaft. So
10:07 · there was natural light coming into each
10:10 · one of these areas of the of the tunnel.
10:13 · [Music]
10:15 · All right, we're going to continue this
10:17 · journey.
10:18 · The tunnels twist like intestines. You
10:21 · walk single file, brushing cold, damp
10:24 · stone, and you think, who in the world
10:26 · lived like this? Everyone at Braz. It
10:29 · feels like this wasn't just a castle
10:32 · under a castle. It was a city. They had
10:34 · a wine press, kept livestock, had
10:37 · kitchens, ovens. Imagine baking your
10:39 · daily bread under 30 ft of rock while
10:42 · the real world continued above. It's
10:44 · ingenious. The people of Bris didn't
10:46 · just hide, they adapted. They built a
10:49 · parallel world, preparing for the worst
10:52 · while hoping for better. It's almost
10:54 · post-apocalyptic in feeling. Except this
10:56 · was the Middle Ages, and the apocalypse
10:58 · showed up regularly.
11:00 · And when you come back up out of the
11:03 · earth and into the dry mode, it's
11:04 · jarring. You blink in the sunlight like
11:06 · you've timeraveled in a way you have.
11:15 · [Music]
11:19 · France is full of castles. Too many,
11:21 · some say, but few will stick with you
11:24 · like Brez. Not because it dazzles, but
11:27 · because it humbles. It makes you wonder
11:29 · what you'd build if the world turned
11:31 · upside down. Would you carve a refuge in
11:33 · stone? Would you defend it? Would you
11:36 · survive? Or would you pour a glass of
11:38 · wine, sit in the dark, and wait for
11:40 · morning? It's a question Brise poses and
11:43 · one worth reflecting on.
11:47 · Thanks for coming along. If you want
11:49 · more stories from the hidden corners and
11:51 · extravagant hallways of France's
11:53 · magnificent chateau, subscribe, leave a
11:56 · comment, or better yet, book a train
11:58 · ticket and see for yourself. We'll be
12:00 · waiting.

--> YouTube-Generated Transcript <--
	·	The Castle With a Secret
0:00	·	[Music]
0:09	·	We are at a very special chateau in the
0:12	·	Lir Valley, Chateau de Brris. And it has
0:16	·	its genesis all the way back to around a
0:18	·	thousand years ago. What makes this
0:20	·	chateau so unique is not what you see
0:24	·	above ground, although that's amazing,
0:26	·	but it's what you see almost 20 m down
0:29	·	below.
0:31	·	[Music]
0:36	·	There is a whole chateau underground and
0:40	·	we're going to take you on a journey to
0:43	·	look at the largest underground fortress
0:46	·	in all of Europe.
0:50	·	[Music]
1:00	·	At first glance, Bris plays the part.
1:03	·	Creamy Tufa stone, sharp Renaissance
1:06	·	lines. But this isn't just a castle.
1:09	·	It's a Trojan horse. Noble on the
1:11	·	outside, savage underneath. They don't
1:14	·	build them like this anymore. In fact,
1:16	·	they didn't build any like this to begin
1:18	·	with.
1:21	·	This castle hides a secret in its gut. A
1:24	·	network of caves, tunnels, escape
1:26	·	routes, and underground lives carved
1:28	·	into limestone. A castle underneath a
1:31	·	castle. One for the kings, the other for
1:34	·	the crisis. It might not surprise you
1:36	·	that no one ever managed to seize the
1:38	·	castle. And that's most likely because
1:40	·	of the vast sprawl of troglodite tunnels
1:43	·	below that made enemies think twice.
1:47	·	It was well worth it to build a
1:49	·	deterrent to protect the treasure that
1:51	·	sits on the surface. The oldest parts of
1:53	·	the chateau date back to the 11th
1:55	·	century. But like anything ancient and
1:58	·	important in France, it's been passed
2:00	·	down, broken apart, stitched together
2:03	·	again like a well-worn cloak. Over time,
2:07	·	it became the stronghold of the Drew
2:09	·	Brees family. Then by marriage, the
2:11	·	Colbears, the right-hand man of Louis
2:14	·	the 14th, took over. The chateau, as we
2:17	·	see it today, took shape in the 16th and
2:19	·	17th centuries, a blend of Gothic bones
2:22	·	and Renaissance frills.
2:28	·	You know, we know we're supposed to go
2:29	·	that way, but it's always intriguing to
	·	Inside the Grand Salons
2:32	·	look at spots down here that are not
2:35	·	accessible, but you have to wonder,
2:42	·	more inaccessible
2:45	·	areas. This place has been in the hands
2:48	·	of power for centuries, and power
2:50	·	doesn't like to look vulnerable.
2:53	·	Inside the salons are classic
2:55	·	aristocratic theater
2:58	·	painted beams in ultramarine golden
3:01	·	floor dele oak woodwork carved into
3:04	·	gothic lancets and crowned with floral
3:07	·	finials. The trouidor style furniture a
3:10	·	sort of medieval play for 19th century
3:13	·	aristocrats who romanticize chivalry
3:15	·	more than they practiced it. This is the
3:17	·	apartment of the Drew Brees. It's less
3:20	·	of a living space, more of a statement.
3:23	·	A room that whispers, "We survived
3:25	·	revolutions and we still have our
3:27	·	dignity."
3:29	·	Some of the amazing detail on the
3:31	·	ceilings and the woodwork. A lot of
3:34	·	restoration has gone into this
3:36	·	particular section of the chateau. It is
3:39	·	just stunning. Tucked in the corner is a
3:42	·	room so small you could miss it if it
3:44	·	weren't screaming in Neo Renaissance
3:46	·	bravado. The bishop's study is a jewel
3:49	·	box of fake marble, painted kings, and a
3:52	·	lineage they made up but never painted
3:55	·	over. Isn't this absolutely stunning?
4:00	·	This is a private prayer area or a study
4:02	·	off the bishop's room. There was plans
4:04	·	at one point to connect a chapel here,
4:07	·	but they were never completed. But you
4:10	·	see, you can imagine what it what would
4:13	·	it looked like. Incredible detail.
4:20	·	Down the hall is the Rishlu room, named
4:22	·	for Arman Duplesi, Cardinal Rishlu, the
4:25	·	king's right hand and master political
4:27	·	manipulator. The Rishelu room blends
4:30	·	16th century bones with 19th century
4:32	·	tribute, red deamasque walls, a grand
4:35	·	fireplace, and the echoes of a family
4:37	·	entangled in royal service, rebellion,
4:40	·	and quiet tragedy. Clare Clemens, once a
4:43	·	princess, fought for her husband during
4:45	·	the Frond and was left to die in
4:47	·	obscurity. History doesn't always
4:49	·	remember the ones who loved hardest, but
4:51	·	sometimes the wallpaper does.
4:56	·	Wow, what a fantastic room. This was a
5:00	·	room designed for Bishop Rishelu
5:03	·	and uh he did actually stay here and it
5:06	·	was a very special accommodations just
5:08	·	for a very powerful man in the 1600s in
5:12	·	France. A few steps further into the
5:15	·	hall is the portrait gallery where
5:17	·	generations of Drew Bris men watch you
5:19	·	from the walls like they're still
5:21	·	waiting for the king to call. Most were
5:23	·	grandmasters of ceremonies, basically
5:25	·	the royal protocol enforcers, running
5:28	·	the rituals of monarchy from Louis the
5:30	·	14th to Charles I 10th. They handed
5:32	·	crowns, read speeches, arranged
5:34	·	coronations, and occasionally got yelled
5:37	·	at by revolutionaries. Here's one of the
5:39	·	Bris family. This is the Marque de
5:42	·	Brris, and he lived during 17 late 1700s
	·	Descending Into the Underground
5:46	·	to early 1800s.
5:49	·	What a magnificent portrait. Another
5:52	·	incredible room. This great hall took
5:55	·	actually
5:57	·	150 years to complete. It is
5:59	·	magnificent.
6:01	·	Here we are at the end of the great hall
6:04	·	and you see the continuation on the
6:06	·	cornice and on the walls and in the ways
6:08	·	coating the trumpy which the French are
6:11	·	famous for to give the illusion that
6:13	·	this was actually high relief uh
6:16	·	woodwork. But isn't it gorgeous? From
6:19	·	embroidered chairs to carved out
6:21	·	chambers, every chateau has a downstairs
6:24	·	it doesn't brag about.
6:25	·	You know, in a castle, one of our most
6:27	·	favorite places to visit is anything
6:30	·	underground, tunnels, secret passages
6:33	·	and dungeons. Let's go take a look at
6:36	·	where the dungeon used to exist.
6:38	·	Not every chateau had a dungeon, but
6:40	·	Bris built one deep enough to mean it.
6:42	·	You look at the heavy doors that were uh
6:45	·	locked. And this is one place if you
6:48	·	walked in, you probably aren't going to
6:51	·	come out.
6:54	·	So this is the dungeon.
6:57	·	[Music]
7:04	·	Wow. Can you imagine?
7:08	·	It's a pretty small space, but uh it is
7:12	·	not a place that you would want to come
7:13	·	to visit. It is fascinating to look at
7:16	·	how these were constructed.
7:19	·	So, here you are in a place that most
7:22	·	tourists never see.
7:24	·	Another dungeon cell
7:27	·	and take a look. This is the beginning
7:28	·	of the underground below Chateau De.
7:32	·	Let's see what we can see.
7:35	·	Another space
7:38	·	designed for storage or another cell on
7:40	·	the opposite side of the dungeon.
7:44	·	You know, during a hot summer day, it's
7:46	·	very cool in here, but that is not
7:48	·	enough motivation for me to ever want to
7:50	·	have been locked in here.
7:53	·	The dungeon was there to keep certain
7:55	·	impulses in check because deeper down,
7:57	·	Breant business.
8:00	·	Welcome to the underworld. While most
8:03	·	Chateau had sellers, Bris went full
8:06	·	mole. Over 3 km of underground passages,
8:09	·	rooms, stables, bakeries, even a silk
8:13	·	farm, all hollowed into soft tufa
8:16	·	limestone. Think of it as a medieval
8:18	·	panic room the size of a village. Some
	·	3km of Medieval Tunnels
8:21	·	of these caves date back to the 11th
8:23	·	century, maybe earlier.
8:26	·	This was a fortress before it was a
8:28	·	chateau. During the Hundred Years War,
8:30	·	when the English were playing house all
8:32	·	over France, the people of Bre took the
8:35	·	fight underground. You don't build
8:37	·	tunnels like this for fun. You do it
8:39	·	because you're afraid and smart.
8:43	·	So, we're continuing to descend below
8:45	·	Chateau de Brris. There's over 3
8:48	·	kilometers of tunnels, rooms, secret
8:51	·	passages, storage, all sorts of rooms
8:54	·	that were designed very methodically. If
8:57	·	you look at the arches, you see this
9:00	·	wasn't just an ordinary tunnel. This was
9:02	·	very methodical.
9:05	·	There are so many passages and rooms.
9:09	·	This room, this was designed under Bris
9:12	·	in order to protect the inhabitants from
9:14	·	sieges, from epidemics, uh from anything
9:18	·	that they needed protection. In fact,
9:20	·	these tunnels, there is only one
9:22	·	entrance from the chateau and one
9:25	·	entrance on the other side in order to
9:27	·	minimize the ability for invaders or
9:31	·	enemies to come in.
9:34	·	So, here we are in another storage area
9:37	·	underneath about 20 to 30 meters
9:39	·	underneath Chateau de Brris. Each one of
9:42	·	these openings were actually go all the
9:45	·	way to the surface where they would
9:48	·	store grain. You can see right through
9:50	·	here there was actually an area that was
9:53	·	designed for grain storage. And you see
9:56	·	some there are light shafts. You'd think
9:58	·	it would be dark underground all the
10:00	·	time. There is certainly artificial
10:02	·	light, but the reality is they were very
10:04	·	thoughtful in designing light shaft. So
10:07	·	there was natural light coming into each
10:10	·	one of these areas of the of the tunnel.
10:13	·	[Music]
10:15	·	All right, we're going to continue this
10:17	·	journey.
10:18	·	The tunnels twist like intestines. You
10:21	·	walk single file, brushing cold, damp
10:24	·	stone, and you think, who in the world
10:26	·	lived like this? Everyone at Braz. It
10:29	·	feels like this wasn't just a castle
10:32	·	under a castle. It was a city. They had
10:34	·	a wine press, kept livestock, had
10:37	·	kitchens, ovens. Imagine baking your
10:39	·	daily bread under 30 ft of rock while
10:42	·	the real world continued above. It's
10:44	·	ingenious. The people of Bris didn't
10:46	·	just hide, they adapted. They built a
10:49	·	parallel world, preparing for the worst
10:52	·	while hoping for better. It's almost
10:54	·	post-apocalyptic in feeling. Except this
10:56	·	was the Middle Ages, and the apocalypse
10:58	·	showed up regularly.
11:00	·	And when you come back up out of the
11:03	·	earth and into the dry mode, it's
11:04	·	jarring. You blink in the sunlight like
11:06	·	you've timeraveled in a way you have.
11:15	·	[Music]
11:19	·	France is full of castles. Too many,
11:21	·	some say, but few will stick with you
11:24	·	like Brez. Not because it dazzles, but
11:27	·	because it humbles. It makes you wonder
11:29	·	what you'd build if the world turned
11:31	·	upside down. Would you carve a refuge in
11:33	·	stone? Would you defend it? Would you
11:36	·	survive? Or would you pour a glass of
11:38	·	wine, sit in the dark, and wait for
11:40	·	morning? It's a question Brise poses and
11:43	·	one worth reflecting on.
11:47	·	Thanks for coming along. If you want
11:49	·	more stories from the hidden corners and
11:51	·	extravagant hallways of France's
11:53	·	magnificent chateau, subscribe, leave a
11:56	·	comment, or better yet, book a train
11:58	·	ticket and see for yourself. We'll be
12:00	·	waiting.