Origin and history
The Château de Montmaur, located in the Hautes-Alpes 15 km from Gap, finds its origins in the 14th century as a medieval fortress. In the 16th and 17th centuries, in particular in 1590, it was radically remodelled, where its scallops were replaced by four massive towers, two of which remain today. The site includes agricultural buildings ( stables, barns), a courtyard in the west, and halls with French ceilings and Renaissance fireplaces in gypsum. Its frescoes, dating from the Renaissance to the 18th century, and its walnut doors carved in trompe-l'oeil make it an artistic gem. Ranked a Historic Monument in 1988, it was bought in 2006 by the department to be restored and opened to the public.
The castle is inseparable from the wars of Religion that torn the Dauphiné. The region, the cradle of Protestantism with figures such as Guillaume Farel (from Gap) or François de Bonne de Lesdiguières, saw itself confronted by Catholics and Huguenots. The lords of Montmaur, such as Balthazar Flotte de Montauban (decapitated in 1614 for treason and bigamy), played an ambiguous role, changing sides according to their interests. The Treaty of Montmaur (1588), signed within the castle, sealed an ephemeral alliance between moderate Catholics (represented by Lavalette) and Protestants (Lesdiguières) against the aims of the Duke of Savoy and the Catholic League. This treaty illustrates the typical strategic reversals of the time, where loyalty to the French crown often prevailed over religious divisions.
In the 17th century, the revocation of the edict of Nantes (1685) led to the exodus of local Protestants, many of whom fled to Geneva or Neuchâtel. The castle, a symbol of seigneurial power, also became a place of resistance during the Second World War. In 1942, Commander Antoine Mauduit installed an early maquis, welcoming refugees, resistors and personalities like François Mitterrand or Serge Klarsfeld. The site served as a centre for forgery and preparation for the liberation fighting. Mauduit, deported in 1944, died shortly after his return and was buried in Montmaur in 1949.
The architecture of the castle reflects its many functions: defence (the so-called Saracen tower, missing ramparts), seigneurial residence (room of appartment, honorary staircase with doric/ionic columns), and agricultural farm (attitled farm). The chapel of Sainte-Philomene, close to the village, recalls the medieval religious heritage, while the remains of the old castle (XI century), perched at 1,351 m above sea level, testify to the first fortifications of the Montauban. The site, open to the public since the 2000s, offers visits, exhibitions and summer shows.
The legend of a Saracen origin of the village, linked to the Saracen tower, is overturned by historians such as Joseph Roman (1887), who point to the absence of evidence of Arab invasions in the Upper Alps. The toponym Montmaur (attested under Monsmaurus in 1120) would rather come from the Latin mons (mount) and Maurus (black), evoking a dark hill. However, this confusion persists in the local culture, fuelled by stories like Gustave Le Bon, who attributed the Saracens a lasting influence in the region.
Today, the castle of Montmaur embodies both an exceptional architectural heritage and a complex historical memory, combining feudal power, religious conflicts, and resistant engagement. Its acquisition by the Hautes-Alpes department allowed its preservation, while making it a place of transmission of Dauphinian history, from medieval barons to guerrillas of 1944.
Announcements
Please log in to post a review