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Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Montigny-le-Gannelon, located in Eure-et-Loir, finds its origins in a fortress built in the time of Charlemagne, rebuilt in the 10th and 12th centuries. The building, very degraded in the 15th century, was dismantled and rebuilt around 1495 by Jacques de Renty in an emerging Renaissance style. Today, there is still the Tower of the Ladies and the Tower of the Clock, witnesses of this architectural period.

In the 18th century, the estate came into the hands of the Montmorency-Laval family, including Anne-Adrien-Pierre de Montmorency-Laval, Ambassador under Louis XVIII and Charles X. The latter, a defender of Canada, kept a unique book containing the opening speeches of the city of Lévis in 1895. In 1834, a pavilion was added to the north facade, and the family coat of arms, decorated with sixteen eagles and shells, were affixed above the entrance.

In 1879, the façade was rebuilt in a neo-Gothic style by architect Clement Parent, pupil of Viollet-le-Duc, for Count Sigismond de Lévis. The estate, which includes a central cloister and a ride built from 1893, is classified as a Historic Monument in 1927 and 1993. The clock tower, adorned with garlands symbolizing the vine and the widowhood, and the cloister, once open, illustrate the successive transformations of the castle.

The west façade features seven sculptures representing the grave sins, while a commemorative plaque pays tribute to Marshal François Gaston de Lévis, the defender of Canada. The main staircase, with a Renaissance ceiling of 1495, displays paintings of the Marshals of the Lévis family and symbols related to the roads of Compostela, highlighting the rich historical and artistic heritage of the site.

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