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Origin and history

The Château de Montrenard, which was named Monte Reynardi in 1343, was built around 1385 by the Montrenard family, a small independent seigneury controlling the banks of the Loire between Aiguilly and Pouilly. Its name evolves over the centuries: Montregnard (1660), then Montrenard. The family, close but not vassal of Édouard II de Beaujeu, benefits from rents transferred in recognition of services rendered. This castle, conceived as a refuge against looters rather than a military fortress, reflects the autonomy and harshness of its lords.

From 1500 onwards, Montrenard's prosperity declined. Joachim de Montrenard sold some of the estates in 1535. The fief then passed into the hands of Claude de Cremeaux (1588), then of the d'Apchon (1601), before being erected in 1766 by the Michon de Vougy de la Farge, last owners before the Revolution. The castle, registered with the Historic Monuments in 1935, remains a private property not open to the public, preserved since 2014 by an association dedicated to its maintenance and enhancement.

Architecturally, the castle is distinguished by its quadrangular enclosure, its three corbelled scauguettes, and its square dungeon with cruciform arches. The entrance door, reinforced with a shoulder strap and an armrest, illustrates its limited defensive role. Inside, the seigneurial apartments, described as rough and stripped from 1911, contrast with the almost perfect preservation of the exterior structure. Ceinte of moat and located on the banks of Jarnossin, this home embodies the feudal history of the local area and the social changes of the Ancien Régime.

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