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Origin and history

Beaumont-sur-Oise Castle is a former castle today in ruins, located on a rocky spur overlooking Oise, in the Val-d Built in the 12th century by Count Mathieu (1080-1155), it replaced an older wooden structure, mentioned in 953. This rectangular Romanesque dungeon, 25 meters high, was surrounded by a enclosure flanked by cylindrical towers in the 13th century. It also housed a castral chapel and a Carolingian collegiate, now missing.

The castle played a major strategic role in the Oise Valley, controlling the passage to Paris. It was destroyed and rebuilt several times, notably during the Hundred Years War (1432, demolished by the Duke of Bedford; 1434, rebuilt by La Hire and then shaved by John Talbot). In 1223, the county returned to Saint Louis, who lived there. During the Wars of Religion (1590), he was besieged by Henry IV, suffering extensive damage.

Archaeological excavations (1984-1987) revealed vestiges ranging from the 10th to the 17th century: a Romanesque church of the 12th (prieuré Saint-Leonor), a Gothic wall of 40 meters high, and a dungeon among the largest in France. The site, classified as a historic monument in 1999, was rehabilitated in 1997. Its walls, its drawbridge and its habitable dungeon still bear witness to its military and religious importance.

The castle ceased to be a strong place in 1814, after centuries of conflict. Today, its ruins offer a panorama of the Oise and recall its past as a Comtal fortress, then royal, marked by the struggles between Capetians, English and Huguenots. Its architecture combines Romanesque influences (donjon) and medieval defensive influences (premises, towers).

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