Sagonne Castle
The castle Sagonne is located in the town of Sagonne in the French department of Cher . Parts of the complex have been under monument protection as Monument historique since May 1914 .
history
The origin of the Sagonne complex is Gallo-Roman . The first known owner was Wicfried, Count von Bourges , who gave the property to his daughter Agarve as a dowry in 832. Their descendants owned the castle until the 16th century. In the 14th century, the fortifications , which were renewed around 1300, withstood the attacks of the English and the Grandes Compagnies , who devastated the surrounding country. The Constable Louis de Sancerre set up in 1383 four annual markets and a weekly market every Saturday in Sagonne.
In the 15th century, Pierre d'Amboise married the estate's heiress, Anne de Bueil, and undertook major renovations as Seigneur von Sagonne. His son Charles , at the same time lord of Meillant and of Chaumont-sur-Loire , a confidante of Louis XII. , continued the renovation that had started. In 1542 the castle was sold to Jean Babou . As Grand Bailiff of Touraine , Governor of Gien and Brest and as Ambassador Extraordinary to Rome , Jean Babou received from King Charles IX. the post of artillery commander. For the youngest son of Jean Babou, who was also called Jean, Henry III raised. the barony of Sagonne to the county .
In 1631 the castle came into the possession of Charles de L'Aubespine . In 1699 Jules Hardouin-Mansart became the owner and received the title of Count as the architect of Louis XIV . Mansart tried to adapt the feudal castle to the new times. He had part of the curtain wall torn down, terraces set up along the trenches to the east and a wide avenue laid out. In addition, the castle entrance was moved to the side of the ponds. A large building and an extensive, walled garden in the French style were added on the north side .
During the French Revolution , Anne d'Arpajon, heiress of Mansart and governess Marie Antoinette , was guillotined. The castle was sold, the roofs covered to get the lead, and the buildings were then used as a quarry and farm. In 1914 the donjon and part of the existing curtain wall were placed under monument protection; the castle remained deserted. It was not until 1977 that a descendant of Jean Babou acquired the building, began restoration work and finally opened the castle to visitors.
architecture
Today's castle essentially corresponds to the structure from the 13th century and is still completely surrounded by wide moats . Until the renovation work by Mansart, a curtain wall with two fortified gates and eight towers protected the castle. Two of the towers, larger than the others, together with the donjon formed a second line of defense. The defensive works still show typical defensive features such as portcullis , casting holes, loopholes and cannon slots and firing chambers. Buildings attached to the curtain wall in the 15th to 18th centuries served partly as accommodation and supply buildings for the garrison , partly as stables.
The Donjon is still a huge building without roofing. It consists of a rectangular and a square tower that rises above the entrance, as well as two round towers . The stately rooms were in the rectangular tower, and the bedrooms in the round towers. The castle chapel is housed in the square tower , in whose rooms wall paintings depicting mock architecture have been preserved.
literature
- A. Artaud: Recherches historiques sur la forteresse de Jouy et le château de Sagonne . Patureau, Bourges 1876.
- Josyane and Alain Cassaigne: 365 Chateaux de France . Aubanel, Geneva 2007, ISBN 978-2-7006-0517-4 , p. 132.
- François Deshoulières: Le château de Sagonne . In: Bulletin monumental . No. 79, 1920. ISSN 0007-473X , pp. 210-216 (on- line ).
Web links
- Castle website (French)
- Photos from Base Mémoire
Individual evidence
- ^ Sagonne Castle in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French), accessed on September 22, 2009.
Coordinates: 46 ° 51 ′ 0 ″ N , 2 ° 49 ′ 34.5 ″ E