Blain

Blain lies north of Nantes beside the River Isac, where the great castle of the Rohans guarded their Breton lands. Its towers and courtyards formed the seat of one of the duchy's most powerful noble families. In the sixteenth century the Rohans embraced Protestantism, and Blain became a refuge and a centre of Reformed worship in the country around Nantes. During the Wars of Religion the castle was besieged by troops fighting for the Catholic League and burned in 1591. Its damaged buildings were later restored by the family.