Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The ruins of the Donjon d'Etableaux, located at Grand-Pressigny in Indre-et-Loire, date from the 12th and 13th centuries. This castle, built on a steep and fossilized site, overlooks the Aigronne valley. The initial dungeon, of quadrangular plan, was a rectangular tower flanked by a smaller one, comparable to the dungeons of Langeais, Montbazon and Loches. Its walls, made of medium-sized stone apparatus with a brickwork, are partially resting on a bellow solin. The upper floors have disappeared, leaving only the north wall, part of the west wall and tearing off the east wall.

In the 12th century, a first construction campaign erected the dungeon and three sides of the trapezoidal enclosure (south, east, west), including a door tower equipped with a harrow and a traffic gallery in the thickness of the walls. A full-circle vault and 13th-century arcades connect the galleries dug under the rock. In the 13th century, the enclosure was reinforced by a north courtine flanked by three round towers (two of which remain), equipped with archeries. A fourth tower is added to the southeast corner, while the western tower is rebuilt, perhaps by Maurice de Craon, first lord attested between 1226 and 1250.

The site underwent subsequent changes: in the 16th century, new constructions appeared in the lease, and quarries and a well were dug there. In 1569, the Protestants, led by La Loue, stormed the castle during the Wars of Religion. The fortress, used for defence, was demolished in 1728. In the 18th century, a farm was built (perhaps recently restored), while the chapel of Sainte-Catherine, mentioned in 1787, served as a place of public worship in the absence of a parish church. The current ruins, classified as Historic Monument in 1952, include the partial dungeon, remains of the enclosure, and a square 16th century pavilion.

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