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Origin and history

The castle of Montargis, located in the Loiret, is a former castle that became royal residence, today largely ruined. Its remains include the square tower called "poterne", three stables, and three north towers built under Philippe Auguste. The site also preserves traces of the lower church of Sainte-Marie (XII century) and cellars of the 13th century royal garden, partially destroyed by Philippe d'Orléans and Philippe Egalité. The drawings of Jacques I androuet du Cerceau and the prints of Anne-Louis Girodet allow a partial restitution of his past appearance.

According to tradition, a fortified tower built by Clovis in the fifth or sixth century marks the origin of the castle. In the 12th century, the family of Courtenay made it a strategic fief: Jocelin de Courtenay became lord in 1069, and Miles de Courtenay built a new castle there around 1130. Renaud de Courtenay adds a first enclosure protecting the agglomeration. Peter I and Peter II of Courtenay, linked to royalty by marriage, reinforce its importance, the latter becoming also Latin emperor of Constantinople in 1216.

The castle entered the royal domain in 1184 under Philippe Auguste, who erected a dungeon there. Charles V, in the 14th century, made it a major residence by adding a "large room of arms" and a chapel, entrusting the works to Raymond of the Temple. The clock installed in 1380 is one of the first in France. In the 16th century, Renée de France, daughter of Louis XII, welcomed Protestants and restored the castle after a fire in 1525, with the help of Jacques Androuet du Cerceau, who added gardens inspired by Ferrara.

In modern times, the castle passes into the hands of the Orléans family. Marie de Medici acquired it in 1612 for the preserve of the Duke of Orleans. In the 18th century, Philippe Égalité installed a cotton mill, destroying part of the royal gardens. Sold as a national property in 1791, it was dismantled between 1810 and 1835 to recover its materials. Its ruins are now shared between several owners, including the Foundation Culture and Promotion and the city of Montargis.

The gardens, designed by Jérôme Teste for Renée de France, blended pleasant spaces and subsistence gardens. Damaged during religious wars, they were gradually ceded to individuals or urbanized. In the 19th century, a Chappe telegraph was briefly installed. In 2010, 12 tiles of the gardens were recreated according to the plans of the Ring, thanks to joint financing from the city and the region Centre-Val de Loire.

Since 2011, restoration campaigns have involved ramparts and some towers. A pedestrian path, inaugurated in 2021, allows you to discover the remains of the "Royal Castle", while a museum exhibits plans and models. The archives kept under the Notre-Dame auxiliatrice chapel document its history, from medieval drawings to revolutionary destruction.

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