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Origin and history

The Château de Chamerolles, located in Chilleurs-aux-Bois in the Loiret, is built in the 1st quarter of the 16th century by Lancelot I of the Lake, chamberlain of Louis XII and bailli of Orleans under François I. It replaces an old fortified house of the Brouard de Chamerolles and retains a defensive structure (douves, cylindrical towers) while adopting a Renaissance residential style. Lancelot I, a veteran of the Italian wars, incorporates Italian artistic influences, while preserving medieval elements such as the entrance chestnut flanked by cannon turrets.

In the 16th century, under Lancelot II du Lac (grandson of Lancelot I), the castle became a high place of Protestantism in Orléan. In 1562 Lancelot II converted and installed a Protestant temple in the chapel around 1570, welcoming the faithful of Chilleurs-aux-Bois. The walls still retain painted texts of the Décalogue (Bible de Genève, 1588), the Credo and the Notre-Père, as well as coats of arms symbolizing the alliance of the families of Lake and Coligny, close to Gaspard de Coligny. In 1585 Henry III temporarily confiscates the castle to protect it during the Wars of Religion.

In the 17th century, the castle passed to Jacques Saumery, brother-in-law of Colbert and governor of Chambord, who ended his Protestant use. The Lamberts became owners in 1774, followed by Gaston Jessé-Curely in 1924. Racked during the Second World War, he was abandoned until his redemption by the Loiret General Council in 1987. After five years of restoration led by architect Jacques Moulin, he reopened in 1992 with a perfume museum in the south wing, highlighting the history of hygiene and scents throughout the centuries.

The architecture of Chamerolles combines Beauce limestone and red and black bricks in diamond, typical of the Loire Valley. The quadrilateral, surrounded by moat, includes a seigneurial house in the west, an honorary courtyard with a dome well, and a chapel with unique 16th century paintings. The gardens, recreated in Renaissance style by Jacques Moulin, stretch around a water mirror and a park crossed by a river. The castle, classified as a Historic Monument since 1927, attracts more than 40,000 visitors every year.

Since 1992, Chamerolles has hosted cultural events such as the Boccace literary prize, the Journées des Collectionneurs de parfums, or Renaissance animations. It is part of the Loire castles and the Route de la Rose, while being labeled Refuge LPO since 2020. Its history reflects the religious, political and artistic upheavals of France, from the Renaissance to the present day.

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