Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de la Forêt, located in Montcresson in the Loiret, finds its origins in the 12th century, with traces of a hunting lodge under Saint Louis (XIIIth century). The present building was rebuilt around 1600 by the Boileau family on the ruins of an older building. It was then surrounded by a walled enclosure with towers, three of which remain today. The north facade, dating from the early seventeenth century, preserves five brick windows with alternating pediments, characteristic of this period.

In the 17th century, Machault's family acquired the castle in 1627 and preserved it for nearly two centuries. The wings in return of square, added at the end of this century, complete the structure. In 1842, the family of Castries became the owner, then the estate passed by alliance to the Marshal of Mac-Mahon, Duke of Magenta and third president of the Republic (1873–79). The latter, a resident of the castle from 1860 to 1893, undertook important works there: construction of a dome-covered chapel, a column-shaped porch, a winter garden, and partial destruction of the medieval enclosure.

The interiors, marked by the 19th century, reflect the tastes of Mac-Mahon, who died there in 1893. The estate, still owned by its descendants, bears witness to this dual heritage: a medieval and Renaissance architecture reshaped by eclectic additions of the Second Empire. Ranked a Historic Monument in 1986, the castle protects its roofs, the north facade, and elements built under Mac-Mahon, such as the terrace dining room.

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