Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Mondon Castle, located in Marigny-Marmande (Indre-et-Loire), is a building of the second half of the 16th century, listed as historical monuments since 17 April 1931. This fortified castle, now partially extinct, once belonged to the ancestors of Cardinal Richelieu, notably Guy Le Roy and Louis du Plessis. Originally, it was a medieval fortress entirely rebuilt in the Renaissance, marking a transition between defensive architecture and seigneurial residence.

The access to the castle was through a front door preceded by a drawbridge on the west side of the enclosure. A tower with a domed dome reinforced the southwest corner. The court led to a second door with poternes, flanked by pilasters, opening onto the court of honor. The seigneurial houses, now almost entirely destroyed, extended to the south: it remains only the lower floor of the south wall, leading to a rectangular pavilion. In the east, a projection of the wall evokes an old large corner pavilion, while a trunk suggested the presence of a missing turret.

The chapel, located on the ground floor of a pavilion, bears witness to the religious function of the place. In the south, the western and southern walls of a rectangular enclosure remain, equipped with scauguettes at angles. A large cylindrical tower, partially preserved, strengthened the northeast corner. These remains illustrate the strategic importance of the site, combining defence and architectural prestige under the Old Regime.

Ranked for its remains (ZY cadaster), Mondon Castle offers a rare example of the transformation of a medieval fortress into a Renaissance residence, while retaining characteristic defensive elements. His story remains linked to influential families of Touraine, forerunners of major figures like Richelieu.

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