Logo Musée du Patrimoine

All French heritage classified by regions, departments and cities

All the ruins of Montfort Castle à Remilly-sur-Lozon dans la Manche

Patrimoine classé
Patrimoine défensif
Demeure seigneuriale
Château Médiéval et Renaissance
Manche

All the ruins of Montfort Castle

    Le Château de Montfort
    50570 Remilly Les Marais
Château de Montfort à Remilly-sur-Lozon
Ensemble des ruines du château de Montfort
Ensemble des ruines du château de Montfort
Ensemble des ruines du château de Montfort
Ensemble des ruines du château de Montfort
Ensemble des ruines du château de Montfort
Ensemble des ruines du château de Montfort
Ensemble des ruines du château de Montfort
Ensemble des ruines du château de Montfort
Ensemble des ruines du château de Montfort
Ensemble des ruines du château de Montfort
Ensemble des ruines du château de Montfort
Ensemble des ruines du château de Montfort
Ensemble des ruines du château de Montfort
Ensemble des ruines du château de Montfort
Ensemble des ruines du château de Montfort
Ensemble des ruines du château de Montfort
Ensemble des ruines du château de Montfort
Crédit photo : Ikmo-ned - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1500
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
1522
Renovation by Marquetel
fin XVe siècle
Initial construction
1755
Death of Laurent-Félix de Marquetel
vers 1840
Partial dismantling
1978
Historical monument classification
1980
Purchase by an association
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Château de Montfort (all ruins) (Box A 109): inscription by order of 29 December 1978

Key figures

Famille Marquetel de Montfort - Lords and builders Anoblis in 1478, owners until 1755.
Laurent-Félix de Marquetel - Last heir Died in 1755; inventory reveals his drop.
Lempereur (famille) - Owners in the 18th century Abandoned restoration project; accelerated decline.
Association *Les Amis du Château de Montfort* - Site Saviors Repurchase in 1980; restorations in progress.

Origin and history

The Château de Montfort, located in Remilly Les Marais in the English Channel, is a former castle built in the late 15th century, probably after the Hundred Years War. It is one of the last defensive buildings erected in this area. Although its origin may go back to a family of Montfort, local lords in the Middle Ages, no evidence confirms this hypothesis. The site was initially a fief of the honour of the Hommet, attested from the 13th century, but the present castle was mainly shaped by the Marquetel de Montfort family from 1522.

The Marquetel de Montfort family, anobliated in 1478, acquired the fief de Mons in Remilly-sur-Lozon in 1522 and built a new castle there, mixing medieval elements (towers, scauguettes) and Renaissance innovations (windows). This castle reached its peak in the 17th century, but declined after the death of the last heir, Laurent-Félix de Marquetel, in 1755. The inventory after his death reveals unusual details, such as the absence of shoes, suggesting a disease (drop). The estate, already degraded, then passes into the hands of the Lampere family, which envisages a restoration without realizing it.

In the 19th century, the castle was partially dismantled: its stones served as a quarry, and a house was joined to the portery around 1840. In 1900, only exploitable land and the guardian's house remained. Saved from the destruction during the Second World War, the site was bought in 1980 by the association Les Amis du Château de Montfort, which undertook major restoration work. Today, the gate, the commons and the guardhouse are restored, while a third of the seigneurial buildings remain in ruins, preserved in the state.

Montfort Castle has been listed as a historic monument since 1978. A local legend evokes a three-kilometre underground linking the site to the Butte Saint-Clair, sheltering a treasure. However, the marshy position of the castle and the lack of evidence make this history improbable. The current remains include a Renaissance home framed by medieval towers, a scauguette, a 15th century pigeon tree, and a portery and commons accessible to the public.

Architecturally, the castle illustrates a stylistic transition: its general appearance remains medieval (courtesy, peppery), but its large door windows announce Louis XIII castles. The visit of the outsiders is free all year round, with summer activities. The site, managed by Saint-Lô Agglo, bears witness to both Norman seigneurial history and contemporary efforts to preserve the heritage.

External links