Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Monsures, located in the department of the Somme, preserves as the only vestige of its medieval past a fortified gate framed by two towers, attributed to the thirteenth or fourteenth centuries. This site, originally owned by the Monsures family, passes successively to the Gourlé families (15th century), then Tiercelin de Brosses (16th century) by marriage alliances. In the middle of the 17th century, they built a new body of central houses, marking the beginning of the transformation of the site into a modern seigneurial residence.

At the beginning of the 19th century, Claire Blanche de Chassepot and her husband André de Cornel undertook a major restoration of the castle, entrusted to the Amienese architect Sénéchal. The latter adds two symmetrical wings to the central body and designs two identical facades, facing the Selle Valley and the village. The estate, acquired in 1912 by Baron Édouard Morel de Foucaucourt, then became the property of his son Jean, a financial inspector and aviation enthusiast, who set up an airstrip there and organized annual air rallies.

The castle enjoys double protection in respect of historical monuments: the remains of the old castle were inscribed in 1926, followed by facades and roofs in 1970. Its pre-inventory park is home to a century-old sophora japonica. The site thus illustrates the architectural and social evolution of a picard seigneury, from medieval remains to its peak in the 19th century.

External links