Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Montréal, located in Issac, Dordogne, is a building dating back to the 12th and 13th centuries. It was originally built as a castle and then modernized in the 16th century in Renaissance style by the Pontbriand family. Its strategic location on the edge of the Duchy of Aquitaine made it a disputed place between English and French during the Hundred Years War. The castle was dismantled in 1430 at the request of the consuls of Périgueux, before being rebuilt and fortified by Michel de Peyronenc after the Battle of Castillon in 1453, which marked the end of English domination in Aquitaine.

The chapel of the castle, built around 1539, houses the relic of Sainte Épine, reported by Michel de Peyronenc after the Battle of Castillon. The Pontbriands, including Pierre and François, marked the history of the castle by adding a double enclosure of ramparts, a Renaissance façade, and a circular library in a tower. The castle was also strengthened during the Wars of Religion with walls, drawbridges and garrison. In the 17th century, an artillery rider was added to strengthen his defence.

The castle remained in the family of Pontbriand until the middle of the seventeenth century, before passing into the hands of the Duchesne (or Chesne), which kept it until 1752. On that date, it was handed over by inheritance to the Faubournet family of Montferrand, who still own it today. The castle, partially classified and listed as historical monuments, is visited in summer and houses furnished salons, a collection of perigordin portraits, Italian gardens labeled "Remarkable Garden", and vaulted underground rooms dating from the 12th century.

Among the remarkable elements are the well-preserved double enclosure of ramparts, as well as the chapel decorated with paintings of the sixteenth century representing fourteen stars and the coat of arms of the Pontbriands. The castle also had a historical link with Canada: Claude de Pontbriand, brother of the seigneur of Montreal, accompanied Jacques Cartier during his expedition on the shores of the St.Lawrence in 1535, where he discovered the site of the future city of Montreal.

Today, the château de Montréal is a private mansion, open to the public in summer. It illustrates the architectural evolution of the castles in the castle, while preserving medieval defensive elements. Its history reflects the conflicts and alliances that marked the Périgord, between Hundred Years' War, Religion Wars and Renaissance transformations.

Future

Open to visit in summer, you can discover the salons, with a collection of perigordin portraits and, in a tower, a curious circular library. We also visit the underground with its staircase and its beautiful vaulted hall of the xie century. A natural cave follows them.

The interior of the ramparts houses Italian gardens planted with yews and hibiscus. They benefit from the label "Remarkable Garden".

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