Montjeu Castle

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Aerial view of the palace complex
View of the castle from the southeast
View of the castle from the northwest

The Montjeu Castle ( French Château de Montjeu ) is a castle complex in the French commune of Broye in the Saône-et-Loire department of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region . The castle stands on a mountain above the town of Autun (hence the name Montjeu, named after the Latin mons Jovis , which means "Mountain of Jupiter" in German).

description

The castle is located in a wooded castle park of over 700 hectares with three lakes, which is surrounded by a wall over 10 km long. The complex was built between 1606 and 1622 by Pierre Jeannin and inscribed on December 9, 1929 as Monument historique in the national list of monuments of France ( inscrit ). Since April 19, 1958, individual parts have also been protected as classified cultural monuments ( classé ). As the castle is privately owned, it is not open to the public.

history

The von Riveau and Ostun families were the lords of Montjeu in the Middle Ages . In 1586 it was bought by Pierre Jeannin Autunois, President of the Parlements of Dijon and advisor to Henry IV. He began building the castle in 1606. After his death in 1623, his son-in-law, Pierre de Castille, built the park's great stairs and completed the decoration of the chapel . His grandson Nicolas Jeannin of Castile (died 1691) built the south wing of the palace and realized the French gardens .

In 1734 Voltaire attended the wedding of Elisabeth Sophie de Lorraine with Marshal de Richelieu in the chapel . The following year a fire damaged the main building. In 1749, Montjeu was acquired by Anne Catherine de Bauldry de Villaines , the widow of President d'Aligre , who replaced the drawbridges in front of and behind the castle with brick bridges. The property went to her grandson, Le Peletier de Saint-Fargeau, who died in 1893.

Willy Manchot , the castle owner since the late 1950s, had the complex repaired after a serious fire in November 1963. The fire had destroyed the entire interior of the main building, especially the gallery on the first floor, and damaged the north wing.

In the late 1980s, the castle was bought by billionaire James Goldsmith . He began restoring the interior and exterior , as well as reconstructing the French gardens and fountains , which were in poor condition.

literature

  • Ernest de Ganay: Le château et les jardins de Montjeu. In: La Revue de l'art ancien et modern. Volume 47. Paris 1925, pp. 197-203 ( digitized version ).
  • Jean Menand: Châteaux de Saône-et-Loire. Nouvelles Éditions Latines, Paris n.d., pp. 10–11, 12
  • Françoise Vignier: Aimer les châteaux de Bourgogne. Ouest-France, Rennes 1986, ISBN 2-85882-949-7 , p. 49.
  • Françoise Vignier (ed.): Le Guide des châteaux de France. Saône-et-Loire. Hermé, Paris 1985, ISBN 2-86665-014-X , pp. 33-34.

Web links

Commons : Montjeu Castle  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Entry of the castle in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)

Coordinates: 46 ° 54 ′ 9 ″  N , 4 ° 17 ′ 3 ″  E