Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Merlemont, located in Warluis in the Oise (Hauts-de-France), finds its origins in the 12th century with the "Vieux Castel" occupied by Roscelin de Merlemont. In the 15th century, Pierre de Turgis and his son-in-law Louis de Courtils became owners, marking the beginning of an uninterrupted family lineage. Louis 1st of the Courtils erected in 1530 wing of the "new house" at the northeast end. The castle played a major religious role in 1561 when Odet de Coligny, bishop of Beauvais, converted to Protestantism, triggering conflicts with the crown.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, John III of the Courtils transformed the estate: he added a romantic staircase (1675), built a park with eight aisles of charmilles, a court of honor, and decorated the large living room with Beauvaisian tapestries. A fire partially ravaged the castle around 1736, and the Revolution destroyed his family coat of arms. In the 19th century, the wing of the new house was replaced by a classic brick and stone building (1858), while enlargements were made.

The Second World War seriously damaged the castle during the bombings of June-July 1944, with Germans occupying it to launch V1. Reconstructed in 1965 in a neoclassical style (west side), it has been the subject of continuous restoration campaigns since 1995, with protection extended in 2020 to its park, washhouse, and outbuildings. The oldest elements (North gable, turrets, vaulted hall) were already classified since 1979.

The estate preserves traces of its agricultural and seigneurial functions: common, dryer, dovecote, and a support wall of 200 meters. The Courtils, the owner family since the 15th century, shaped its architectural and landscape evolution, mixing medieval heritage and Renaissance or romantic influences. Today, the castle combines historical heritage and contemporary rehabilitation projects.

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