Wikipedia

Château de Montsoreau

TheChâteau de Montsoreauis aFlamboyant Gothiccastle[1]in theLoire Valley,[2]directly built in the Loire[3]riverbed. It is located in the market town ofMontsoreau,in theMaine-et-Loiredépartementof France, close toSaumur,Chinon,Fontevraud-l'Abbaye,andCandes-Saint-Martin.The Château de Montsoreau is situated at the confluence of two rivers, theLoireand theVienne,and the meeting point of three historical regions:Anjou,Poitou, andTouraine.It is the onlychâteau of the Loire Valleybuilt directly in theLoireriverbed.[citation needed]

Château de Montsoreau
Château de Montsoreau,Loire Valley.
General information
Architectural styleFlamboyantGothic,French Renaissance
LocationMontsoreau
Maine-et-Loire
France
AddressChâteau de Montsoreau
49730 Montsoreau
France
Coordinates47°12′56″N0°03′44″E/ 47.2156°N 0.0622°E/47.2156; 0.0622
Current tenantsPhilippe Méaille
Construction started1443
Completed1515
Height45m
Website
Official website
Official nameThe Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes, previously inscribed as Chateau and Estate of Chambord
TypeCultural
Criteriai, ii, vi
Designated2000(24thsession)
Reference no.933
RegionEurope

AGallo-Romanorigin has been verified for the settlement of Montsoreau but not confirmed for the castle, even though a fluted column made of stone from a Gallo-Roman temple or a public building was found in the moat during the restoration works of the end of the 20th century. The first written sources are from the 6th century with the domain of Restis, but it was only with the construction of afortressat the end of the 10th century that the market town began to become prosperous.[4]One part of this first castle was found during the same restoration works by the archaeologists.[5]The castle was reconstructed in a Flamboyant Gothic style between 1450 and 1460 by Jean de Chambes, one of the kingdom's wealthiest men, a senior councillor and chamberlain toKing Charles VIIandKing Louis XI.

The Château de Montsoreau was written about byAlexandre Dumasin his novelLa Dame de Monsoreau(1845–1846). This novel is the second part of a trilogy on the Renaissance betweenLa Reine MargotandThe Forty-Five Guardsmen.

Parts of the Château de Montsoreau were listed as amonument historiqueby theFrench Ministry of Culturein 1862, 1930, and 1938.[6]The Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes has been inscribed as aUNESCOWorld Heritage Sitesince 30 November 2000.[7]

In 2015, the Frenchcontemporary artcollectorPhilippe Méaillesigned withChristian Gillet,president of the French department of theMaine-et-Loireanemphyteutic leaseof 25 years of the real property of the Château de Montsoreau.[8][9][10]The Château houses Méaille's collection of the conceptual art collectiveArt & Languageas a museum namedChâteau de Montsoreau-Museum of Contemporary Art.[11][12][13]

Etymology

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Latin

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The name Montsoreau first appeared in 1086 on a Latin map asCastrum Monte SorelloorMons Sorello.MonsorMonterefers to a rocky promontory. The origin and interpretation of the nameSorelloremain unknown but may mean bald or red. Before the fortress was built, an administrative or cult building had already occupied the site since Gallo-Roman times.[citation needed]

Literary

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InLa Dame de Monsoreau,[14]Alexandre Dumasalludes to the origin of the name of the castle:

Ah! My goodness, my lord the Duke of Anjou will wait. This man makes me curious. I suspect he is very special. I don't know why we have these ideas, you know, the first time we meet people I don't know why I think I'll have trouble leaving with him, and then this name, Monsoreau! – Mount of the mouse, Antraguet continued, this is the etymology: my old abbot learned me this morning:Mons Soricis.

— Alexandre Dumas,La Dame de Monsoreau(1846)

History

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Middle Ages

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The first written source describing the site under the nameRestisdates back to the 6th century.[15]It was transformed into a fortified castle byEudes, the First count of Blois,in 990. In 1001, it was taken by the Anjou realm,[16]andFoulques Nerragave it to Gautier I of Montsoreau. Gautier I belonged to one of the most pre-eminent families of Anjou.[17]Thus, theCastrum Monsorellibecame one of the forty fortified castles in Anjou and one of the few to be given the title of lordship at the turn of the year 1000. A town developed quickly near the castle, and in thenarratio de commendatione Turonice provincie,edited by Salmon in 1854, the site was mentioned as one ofoppidis munitissimi et populosisby the second half of the 11th century[18]Written sources from the 12th century attested to a right to raise taxes[19]

When theorder of Fontevraudwas settled in 1101,Fontevraud Abbeywas supervised by Gautier de Montsoreau, who took direct orders from the Count of Anjou.[20]Gautier's stepmother,Hersende de Champagne,was the first prior and co-founder of the Abbey withRobert d'Arbrissel.

Guillaume IV de Montsoreau was on Geoffrey Plantagenet's side against his brotherHenri II Plantagenet,the future King of England, andEleanor of Aquitaine's husband. The latter besieged thecastrumand took it at the end of August 1152, despite its fortification.[21]He captured Guillaume and his defenders. Guillaume IV, however, was restored to the castle later. An order of King Henry II of England (about 1068) concerning the landscape project of the Loire was signed by Guillaume de Montsoreau and his son Guillaume. In 1171, Guillaume's son gave the Turpenay monks the right to build tax-free houses inside thecastrum.Gauthier, his eldest son, had no sons and so the lordship passed to the Savary de Montbazon family, on the marriage of his daughter Ferrie in 1213[22]to Pierre II Savary de Montbazon, lord ofMontbazon.

After his victory at Bouvines, Philippe-Auguste chose him in 1214, with Guy Turpin, archdeacon of Tours, to negotiate peace with King John. The second house of Montsoreau disappeared in 1362, with the wedding of the only daughter of Renaud VII and Guillaume II de Craon.[23]The fourth house, one of the Chabot family, lasted only a few decades.[24]

In 1450, to pay off debts, Louis II Chabot sold his domains of Montsoreau and Coutancière to his brother-in-law Jean II de Chambes,[25]who undertook to rebuild the castle at Montsoreau.[26]A descendant of Angoumois old noble family (near the city of Angoulême), Jean II de Chambes began inCharles VIIservice as an esquire in 1426,[27]the years before the interview between the King andJeanne d'Arcin theCastle of Chinon.Baker in chief, Councillor and Chamberlain, he became in 1444 "first master of ostel" of the King;[27]at the same time he associated withJacques Coeur.[28]Jean II de Chambes received a considerable amount of money that was owed to him.[29]He performed diplomatic missions as an ambassador toVenicein 1459 to prepare a new crusade.[30]His lordships of Montsoreau and Argenton, but also his governorship of La Rochelle and Lord Provost and Captain of Niort, Talmont-sur-Gironde and Aigues-Mortes assured him revenues.[31]

Modern times

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The Château de Montsoreau along the Loire river

From 1450 to 1460,Jean II de Chambes[fr]played a role as ambassador, and was called out of Anjou, while the castle was being built. His political and financial influence rose during these years including his closeness to Charles VII. Closer toCharles VIIthanLouis XI,Jean II de Chambes gradually withdrew from politics from 1461.[32]

Jean III de Chambes succeeded his father, who died in 1473 and married Marie de Chateaubriant, who founded in 1519 the Holy Cross Collegiate Church across[33]the moat surrounding the castle. In 1530, Philippe de Chambes, who lived in Montsoreau, married Anne de Laval-Montmorency. His eldest son,Jean VI de Chambes[fr]inherited the field of Coutancière and saw his lands made up into a barony in 1560.

Montsoreau was sacked by the Protestants in 1568. The Holy Cross Collegiate and the fortifications of the city were destroyed. Four years later, Jean VI de Chambes acquitted himself in the organisation of the "Saint BartholomewAngevine[34]"in Saumur and Angers. His Barony was confirmed by Letters Patent in 1573 and 1575.[34]

After his death in 1575, his brother Charles de Chambes became Count of Montsoreau and the following year he marriedFrançoise de Maridor,whose name was attached to the murder ofLouis de Bussy d'Amboise.[35]

Garrisons of seventy warriors lived in the castle in the course of the last decade of the 16th century.[36]This ceased to exist during the reign ofLouis XIII,and René de Chambes sought a garrison of royal troops but was refused byRichelieu.As a counterfeiter, he was sentenced to death and had to flee to England and was never able to return. After the death of his successor Bernard de Chambes, the castle of Montsoreau was rarely occupied by its various owners. The eldest daughter of Bernard de Chambes married Louis Francis Bouchet, who died in 1716,[37]leaving 400,000livresof debts. His eldest son Louis I de Bouchet, married Jeanne Pocholle Hamel[37]who brought a 200,000livresdowry.

Contemporary period

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Aerial view of the castle

The widow of Louis Francois II de Bouchet Sourches, Marquis of Tourzel, sold the château and what remained of the domain of Montsoreau after 1804. Following the sale of the property, the building was occupied by 19 different homeowners who reshaped the site. The external condition of the main building is known through various representations and descriptions made in the second half of the nineteenth century, which reflect the disrepair of the property.[38]By 1910, the château had deteriorated and this moved the members of the French Archaeological Society (Société Française d'Archéologie[fr]). Senator Geoffre asked theMaine et Loiredepartment General Council to intervene. The department gradually acquired each property after 1913, Restoration works were undertaken in 1923 and continued until theSecond World War.[39]

After a new programme of restoration between 1997 and 2001, the château opened to visitors on 6 July 2001 with ason-et-lumiereentitled "The Imaginaries of Loire" which attracted about 35,000 visitors a year.

In June 2015, the Maine and Loire council leased the Château toPhilippe Méaille,to create theChâteau de Montsoreau-Museum of Contemporary Artwhich opened to the public in April 2016.[40][41]Its collection holds artworks by theArt & Languagegroup, and organizes temporary shows, conferences and symposia.[42][43]

Geography: the site and its natural environment

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Situation

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The Château de Montsoreau is located at the convergence of two rivers, the Loire and the Vienne, and the intersection of three historical political regionsAnjou,Poitou andTouraine.It is situated in a nationally protected region, the Loire-Anjou-Touraine Regional Nature Park.[citation needed]

The castle was built into the bed of the Loire River, at the foot of the hillside, intufa– the local bedrock, still visible in many places. Many local properties are built from this stone and there are many local houses built into the hillsides, and in the local caves. Its topographic position is said to be militarily impregnable, as it is located between two small valleys on a plateau of some thirty hectares with steep slopes to the east and the west.[44]

Architecture

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Description

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Jean II de Chambes built the Château de Montsoreau in 1455. The building marks the transition from military architecture to architecture for pleasure, as shown by the large windows, the numerous chimneys, and the attention paid to sanitation problems. The castle's central dwelling was built directly on the banks of the Loire. Unusually, two right-angled wings, looking like two square towers framing the main building, were built a few years later, at a time when round towers were usually built. This odd choice prefigures the corner pavilions of classical architecture. A spiral staircase probably existed before the current Renaissance staircase.

The ground floor and courtyard side cellars permit control of navigation on the Loire. One of those rooms has direct access to the river. The main staircase on the left side leads to the ground floor dwelling and to the first floor salon. This very bright room, lit by five windows and with a length of seventeen metres, is heated by two monumental chimneys.

Small rooms surround the dwelling and show the transition between public and private areas. In 1473, Jean III de Chambes succeeded his father. He built a Renaissance staircase tower with a polygonal shaft topped by a terrace. The steps lead to an eight-wedged palmtree-shaped vault, quite similar to those found inAngers’ Barrault dwelling andSaumur’s town hall. The stairs are decorated bypilastersbordering the windows; medallions, putti and candelabra carried by lion's paws.

A central panel shows a helmet bearing the family's motto "Chambe Crie".The register above represents two monkeys holding the end of a chain. This chain is fixed around a loop belt under which is inscribed"Je le feray".At the other extreme of the chain, an ovoid object embellished by a leaf decoration is suspended through a hoop. A little monkey is crouching down the hoop's left side. The upper panel is carved with trees and branches representing a coppice in front of which stand a deer, the chief symbol of the hunt.

The Château de Montsoreau in the Arts

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Visual arts

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Joseph Mallord William Turner

Joseph Mallord William Turner

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In October 1826,William Turnerspent a short stay on the banks of the Loire and took twenty-one views of the river. He painted the château de Montsoreau and surrounding scenery.[45]This watercolour conserved at theAshmolean MuseuminOxfordwas engraved in 1832; one copy is kept at the Château de Montsoreau – Museum of Contemporary Art.[46]

Auguste Rodin

Auguste Rodin

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Auguste Rodinhad the pavilion of theExposition Universelle(to which he added a portico recovered from theChâteau d'Issy) reinstalled on the heights ofMeudonin 1895. Two years later, around 1897, fascinated by the architecture of the château Montsoreau, he drew an idealized view of its north facade.[47]

Paul-Désiré Trouillebert

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Paul-Désiré Trouillebert,a painter of theschool of Barbizon,worked in Paris andCandes-Saint-Martin.He painted several Loire landscapes in which the château de Montsoreau appears.[48]

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In 2019, the English magazine All About History (Future plc) publishes its101 World's Greatest castleslist and ranked the château de Montsoreau with the number 53.[49]

See also

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References

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Citations

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  1. ^"Anjou-Département du Maine-et-Loire".culture.maine-et-loire.fr. 2001.
  2. ^"Page d'été: Découvrez Montsoreau".france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr.2014.
  3. ^"Château de Montsoreau"(in French). parangone.fr. 28 May 2017. Archived fromthe originalon 28 July 2017.Retrieved11 August2017.
  4. ^Litoux, Emmanuel (2003).Congrès Archéologique de France.Société Française d'Archéologie. p. 255.
  5. ^Prigent, Dominique (2003).Congrès Archéologique de France.Société Française d'Archéologie. p. 256.
  6. ^Base Mérimée:Château,Ministère français de la Culture.(in French)
  7. ^"Val de Loire entre Sully-sur-Loire et Chalonnes"(in French). whc.unesco.org. 2000.
  8. ^"Ettore Sottsass ou la liberté guidant l'artiste".Le Monde.fr(in French).Retrieved30 September2018.
  9. ^"Chateau de Montsoreau – FIAC".fiac(in French). 23 September 2017. Archived fromthe originalon 30 September 2018.Retrieved30 September2018.
  10. ^"chateau-de-montsoreau-copie".artpress(in French).Retrieved30 September2018.
  11. ^"Largest Art & Language Collection Finds Home – artnet News".artnet News.23 June 2015.Retrieved29 September2018.
  12. ^"Ettore Sottsass, rebelle et poète au pays du design".Marie Claire(in French).Retrieved30 September2018.
  13. ^"French Collector Pulls Loans from MACBA After Catalonia Referendum".Artforum.Retrieved30 September2018.
  14. ^"La Dame de Monsoreau"(in French). dumaspere. 1998.
  15. ^Prigent, Dominique (2003).Congrès Archéologique de France.Paris: Société Française d'Archéologie. p. 255.
  16. ^Guillot, Olivier (1972).Le comte d'Anjou et son entourage au XIe siècle.Paris. p. 310.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  17. ^Guillot, Olivier (1972).Le comte d'Anjou et son entourage au XIe siècle.Paris. p. 32.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  18. ^Boussard, Jean (1938).Le comté d'Anjou sous Henri Plantagenêt et ses fils.Paris. p. 11.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  19. ^Manase, Victor. "Montsoreau: un château, un port".Bull. Soc. Des Amis du Pays Lochois.Loches: 87–99.
  20. ^Raimbault (1965).Notice historique sur le château et la commune de Montsoreau.Angers: Arch. Départementales du Maine-et-Loire. pp. 304–314.
  21. ^Desme de Chavigny, Olivier (1888).Les anciens seigneurs de Montsoreau.Tours. p. 18.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  22. ^Derigal, Daniel (2017)."Pierre II de Montbazon".daniel.derigal.free.fr.Archived fromthe originalon 3 August 2017.Retrieved11 August2017.
  23. ^Bianco, Thierry and Hélène (2000)."Les sires de Montsoreau".thierryhelene.bianco.free.fr.
  24. ^de Sainte-Marie, Anselme (1728).Histoire de la maison royale de France.Paris: La compagnie des libraires. p. 563.
  25. ^Jean II de Chambes épouse Jeanne Chabot, première dame d'honneur de la reine, le 17 mars 1445
  26. ^UNESCO (22 May 2017)."Charles VII et Louis XI".valdeloire.org.
  27. ^abBachelier (2000)."Chambes".bachelier.free.fr.
  28. ^Mollat, M. (1952).Les affaires de Jacques Coeur, journal du procureur Dauvet.Paris. pp. 483, 618.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  29. ^"Jean II de Chambes"(PDF).geneanet.2001.Archived(PDF)from the original on 9 October 2022.
  30. ^du Romant d'Amat, Prévost (1959).Dictionnaire de biographie française.Paris. p. 243.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  31. ^Bachelier (12 February 2005)."De Chambes".bachelier.free.fr.
  32. ^Prigent, Dominique (2003).Congrès Archéologique de France.Paris: Société d'Archéologie Française. p. 256.
  33. ^Litoux, Emmanuel (2003).Congrès Archéologique de France.Paris: Société Française d'Archéologie. p. 256.
  34. ^abBianco, Thierry et Hélène (2000)."Les sires de Montsoreau".thierryhelene.bianco.free.fr.
  35. ^Levron, J. (1938).La véritable histoire de la dame de Montsoreau.Paris: Chapelon.
  36. ^Seignan, M. (1922).La garnison du château de Montsoreau.Saumur: Bull. Soc. Lettres, Sci. et Arts du Saumurois. pp. 15–19.
  37. ^abL'abbé Expilly (1770).Dictionnaire Géographique, Historique et Politique des Gaules et de la France.Paris: Edition scientifiques Royales. p. 867.
  38. ^Significant views of the château before restoration: A.D. Maine-et-Loire, Coll. Icon. Célestin Port, Carton 27
  39. ^"Le château de Montsoreau".Conseil départemental du Maine-et-Loire.2016. Archived fromthe originalon 28 July 2017.Retrieved12 August2017.
  40. ^"Combining Past, Present and Future: The Contemporary Art Museum at Château de Montsoreau".Mutual Art.
  41. ^Chernick, Karen (20 September 2019)."The Collector Who Turned a 15th-Century French Castle into a Contemporary Art Destination".Artsy.Retrieved23 October2019.
  42. ^de Montjoie, Daisy (25 June 2016)."Philippe Méaille installe sa collection au Château de Montsoreau".Connaissance des Arts.
    -Gleadell, Colin (23 June 2015)."Largest Collection of Radical Conceptualists Art & Language Finds a Home in a French Château".Artnet News.
  43. ^"A Historic Conceptual Art Group Has Taken Over a French Château".Hyperallergic.14 October 2019.Retrieved23 October2019.
  44. ^Litoux, Emmanuel (2003).Congrès Archéologique de France.Paris: Société Française d'Archéologie. p. 257.
  45. ^"Les aquarelles de Loire de William Turner".lanouvellerepublique.fr.Archived fromthe originalon 4 January 2022.Retrieved19 December2019.
  46. ^"Rietz, near Saumur, engraved by R. Brandard 1832 by Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851".Château de Montsoreau – Museum of Contemporary Art.Archived fromthe originalon 23 January 2020.Retrieved19 December2019.
  47. ^"Façade du château de Montsoreau (Maine-et-Loire); Danseuse (au verso), Musée Rodin, Les collections du Musée Rodin".Musée Rodin(in French).Retrieved19 December2019.[permanent dead link‍]
  48. ^"Le peintre de Candes – Une si jolie campagne..."joliecampagne.canalblog(in French). 14 March 2012.Retrieved19 December2019.
  49. ^"101 World's Greatest Castles | My Favourite Magazines".myfavouritemagazines.co.uk.Archived fromthe originalon 8 December 2019.Retrieved19 December2019.

Bibliography

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