Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Villers-Cotterêts, located in Aisne, is built in the 16th century under the impulse of François I, who makes it a hunting residence. Between 1528 and 1532, the master masons Jacques and Guillaume Lebreton led the works, integrating medieval remains. The castle, completed under Henry II, hosts historical events such as the signature of the ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts in 1539 and the laws of the Auld Alliance in 1558.

In the 17th century, the castle passed into the hands of Orleans. Philippe d'Orléans organized parties there, and Molière presented Tartuffe in 1664. Louis XV stayed there in 1722. After the Revolution, the castle became a barracks, then a begging depot in 1804, before being transformed into a retirement home in 1889, a function that it retained until 2014.

Ranked a historic monument in 1997, the castle was restored from 2020 to host the Cité internationale de la langue française, inaugurated in 2023. Archaeological excavations (2020-2023) reveal medieval vestiges, glazed pavings and 15th-century objects, such as a bronze spoon decorated with lilies and a matrix of seals depicting St George.

The Renaissance architecture of the castle, marked by innovations such as the superimposed orders (ionic and Corinthian) and decorations carved by Jean Goujon, is partially preserved despite changes in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The chapel, the King's stairway and the commons bear witness to his long past.

The estate, classified in 2022, includes a park and outbuildings renovated over the centuries. André Le Nôtre reportedly worked there in the 17th century, while architects such as Henri Piètre and Gilbert intervened in the 18th and 19th centuries to adapt the castle to its new functions.

Today, the Château François I symbolizes both the French royal heritage and an ambitious cultural project, with more than 210 million euros invested for its renaissance as a pole dedicated to the French language and written heritage.

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