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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

Tanlay Castle, located in the Yonne in Burgundy-Franche-Comté, finds its origins in the 11th century with the Sires of Courtenay, which made it a strategic fortress. In the 13th and 14th centuries, the land of Tanlay belonged to the Capetian House of Courtenay, then passed through inheritance and alliances to the families of Chamigny and Beaujeu-Montcoquier. In 1535 Catherine de Beaujeu-Montcoquier sold Tanlay to Louise de Montmorency, sister of the connétable Anne de Montmorency, marking the beginning of her transformation into Renaissance castle.

From 1550 on, François de Coligny of Andelot, son of Louise, began the construction of the large castle with the financial help of his brother, Admiral Gaspard of Coligny. The site became a meeting place for Protestant leaders during the Wars of Religion. On the death of François in 1569, his son-in-law Jacques Chabot completed the work, including the Tour de la Ligue and the Tour Coligny, symbols of the religious tensions of the time.

In 1642, Michel Particelli d'Émery, close to Mazarin, acquired Tanlay and entrusted the architect Pierre Le Muet with the completion of the works according to a symmetrical plan in U. The latter modernises the facades, sets up apartments, and creates classic commons as well as a park with canal and moat. The castle, erected as a marquisat in 1671, then passed into the hands of the families Phélypeaux and Thévenin, before being classified as a historical monument in 1994.

The Castle of Tanlay illustrates the architectural evolution of the French Renaissance, with Italian elements such as the nymphée, the Galerie des Césars and the pyramids of the access bridge. Its history is intimately linked to the religious conflicts of the sixteenth century, notably through the figure of Admiral de Coligny, whose working room in the Tour de la Ligue preserves pompeian frescoes evoking its naval role.

In the 17th century, the castle became an example of classical harmony under the influence of Pierre Le Muet, who unified the buildings and the park. The large 530-metre canal, powered by a Renaissance nymph, and the exhibitions of contemporary art organized since 1998 in the communes, testify to its lasting cultural influence. In 1963, it even served as a setting for the film Angélique, marquise des anges.

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