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Origin and history

Fort Saint-Georges is one of three fortified complexes of the Royal Fortress of Chinon, located in the Indre-et-Loire department, in the Centre-Val de Loire region. Built by Henry II Plantagenet in the second half of the 12th century, it was intended to protect the entrance to the main castle. Its strategic location, 88 metres above sea level on a rocky spur, allowed it to dominate the Vienna Valley by more than 40 metres. The site, surrounded by walls and organized around a courtyard, housed administrative buildings, towers and a chapel dedicated to Saint George, which disappeared in 1763.

From the 16th century, the fort lost its defensive role and was gradually abandoned by the kings of France. The buildings deteriorated, and part of the tower collapsed in 1907. In the 18th century, the site was even transformed into a vine after the addition of vegetable soil. The remains, however, were recognized for their historical value and classified as historical monuments in 1926, 1927 and 1931. In the early 2000s, the Departmental Council of Indre-et-Loire acquired the fort, which became an agricultural wasteland, and undertook archaeological excavations and rehabilitation of the site.

Almost rectangular in shape, Fort Saint-Georges communicated with the main castle by a talweg. Its northwest and northeast extremities were flanked by towers, while the southeast corner once housed the chapel. The buildings, densely constructed and modified on several occasions, could have served as administrative premises for the officials of Henri Plantagenet. Despite the partial transformations and destructions, the vestiges today bear witness to the strategic importance of Chinon under the Plantagenets and the evolution of its military heritage.

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