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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The castle of Plessis-lèz-Tours, originally called Montils-lez-Tours, became a royal residence in 1444 under Charles VII, which in 1454 signed an ordinance uniting the customs of the kingdom. Acquired in 1463 by Louis XI for ECU 5,300, it was profoundly reshaped until 1470, becoming his favourite home. The king set up a silk shop, aviaries and a kennel there, and died in 1483. The cardinal of La Balue was imprisoned in a cage, according to legend.

Under Charles VIII and Louis XII, the castle remained a centre of royal power, welcoming the general states of 1506 where Louis XII was nicknamed "Father of the People". It was also the place of political negotiations, such as the 1580 treaty between Francis d'Anjou and the United Provinces, or the reconciliation between Henry III and Henry IV in 1589. Joan of Albret was raised there on orders of Francis I to avoid a political marriage with Spain.

Delayed from the 17th century, the castle became a prison under the Revolution, then a hunting lead factory and a farm in the 19th century, suffering extensive destruction. Purchased and partially restored in the 19th and 20th centuries, it now houses a theatre company and a participatory cultural project, the Plessis Tiers Lieu, after being saved from a sale in 2016.

Architecturally, only the eastern wing remains, a body of rectangular brick and stone houses, an international Gothic style, and a medieval staircase tower. The remains include dungeons such as La Balue, a vaulted room where the cardinal would have been locked up eleven years ago. The site, which was listed as historical monuments in 1927, blends royal heritage and contemporary reinvention.

Louis XI marked the castle for a long time by developing the silk industry (mûries planted by Henry IV) and making it a symbol of his reign. After its decline, doctors such as Edmond Chaumier set up a vaccine institute there in the 20th century, before its transformation into a cultural site open to more than 15,000 annual visitors, focusing on arts, biodiversity and education.

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