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Origin and history

The castle of Matval, located in Bonneveau in the Loir-et-Cher, has its origins in a merovingian castrum named Matoval, founded in the sixth century by King Childebert I, the son of Clovis. This royal estate, where a Merovingian monetary workshop was installed, was destroyed by the Normans in the 10th century. A Merovingian statuette, unique in Europe, served as a window at this workshop, demonstrating its economic and symbolic importance. The site is also linked to the legend of the Reinettes du Mans, apples introduced by Childebert I after a trip to Spain, named in honor of his daughters, the " Réginettes".

The present castle was probably built in the 15th century by Jean, a bastard of Louis de Bourbon-Vendôme, after the fief was given to him in 1459. The Counts of Bourbon-Vendôme, the ancestors of Henry IV, made it a strategic residence, combining seigneurial houses and defensive elements (murder, breche, round tower). Under Louis XIV, the Marquis de Louvois, Minister of War, lived there, followed by other personalities such as the governess of Aiglon.

The architecture reflects its dual military and residential use: a wall pierced with murderers connects the house to a round tower, while underground galleries and troglodytic habitats dug under the motte reveal its defensive past. The site, inscribed in the Historical Monuments in 1971 (façades, roofs) and in 2009 (all the mansion, chapel, archaeological soils), also preserves traces of its Merovingian occupation, such as the monetary workshop.

The chapel, backed by the motte, as well as the ditches and the lower courtyard, were protected for their historical value. The castle thus illustrates almost a thousand years of history, from the Merovingians to the Bourbons, through the Ancien Régime. Its late inscription (2009) highlights the desire to preserve an architectural, underground and legendary heritage.

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