Château de Brissac — the Green Lady moans in France's tallest castle

The Château de Brissac in the Loire Valley is the tallest castle in France, with seven stories and over 200 rooms. The château's ghost is the Green Lady (La Dame Verte), identified as Charlotte de Valois, the illegitimate daughter of King Charles VII. According to legend, Charlotte was discovered in flagrante with one of her lovers by her husband, Jacques de Brézé, who murdered them both in a rage around 1462. Charlotte's ghost has been seen in the tower room of the chapel, wearing a green dress — or in some accounts, appearing with the face of a rotting corpse. Her mournful moaning has been heard echoing through the château's vast rooms, particularly in the early morning hours. The current owners, the Brissac family (who have held the château for over 500 years), have acknowledged the ghost's presence while continuing to operate the castle as a luxury hotel. Guests brave enough to stay overnight in the château have reported hearing Charlotte's cries, feeling cold drafts in sealed rooms, and seeing a green-tinged figure in the corridors. The château's immense scale, its Renaissance and Baroque interiors, and its location amid the vineyards of Anjou create an environment where 500 years of aristocratic drama feel permanently preserved.