Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The sub-prefecture of Romorantin-Lanthenay is the last vestige of a medieval castle taken by the English in 1356 and partly rebuilt in the 15th and 16th centuries. This historic site was marked by the presence of royal figures: Louise de Savoie, mother of François I, welcomed Anne of Brittany. The tower, a central element, was transformed at the beginning of the 16th century with the addition of a breach for crosses decorated with sculptures, including a large shell, hooks and florets. The castle was originally built around 1450 for John of Angoulême, before being enlarged around 1510.

A project of expansion by Leonardo da Vinci, envisaged at the beginning of the sixteenth century, was never carried out. After the Revolution, the site became a courthouse, then completed in the 19th century with buildings housing the sub-prefecture, a prison and a gendarmerie. These neo-Renaissance buildings were restored in the second half of the 19th century by architect Poupard. In 1970, the sub-prefecture was enlarged after the demolition of the prison and gendarmerie, while the chapel and communes disappeared.

The tower, classified Historic Monument by order of 12 October 1932, remains the only protected element of the site. Today, the building belongs to the department of Loir-et-Cher and retains architectural traces of its multiple transformations, reflecting its evolution from the Middle Ages to the contemporary era.

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