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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The dungeon of Maurepas is the last vestige of a medieval castle built in the 12th century on the town of Maurepas, in the Yvelines. Built on a castral mot in the Mauldre valley, it was part of a defensive ensemble now extinct, with the exception of this 20-metre high cylindrical tower. The site, inscribed in historical monuments since 1926, illustrates the military architecture of the feudal period.

Originally, the Maurepas estate (formerly Malrepast) belonged to the abbey of Saint-Denis before being ceded to the lords of Chevreuse in the face of Norman invasions. A first wooden dungeon was replaced by a stone fortress, successively occupied by seigneurial families. During the Hundred Years' War, the castle became a looting den and was dismantled by the English in 1432 after their conquest of the region. After the conflict, the estate returned to the Chevreuses, but the castle remained in ruins.

In the 17th century, the village was still linked to the Abbey of Saint-Denis, while the dungeon, the only remaining element, bears witness to the political and military transformations of the region. Today, it stands near a farm, on the remains of the castral mound, recalling the turbulent history of this Franciscan territory. The sources also mention its inclusion in the general inventory of heritage (Mérimée database) and its precise location at 3 Rue de l'Eglise in Maurepas.

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