The Château de la Madeleine is a castle located in the town of
Chevreuse
Chevreuse () is a commune in the French department of Yvelines, administrative region of Île-de-France, north-central France.
Geography
Chevreuse is located south of Paris, in the middle of a regional natural park, Parc naturel régional de l ...
, in the French ''
département
In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. Ninety ...
'' of
Yvelines
Yvelines () is a department in the western part of the Île-de-France region in Northern France. In 2019, it had a population of 1,448,207.Île de France). In a good state of preservation, it was built on the top of a hill and dominates the town.
The name comes from the chapel of the castle, dedicated to Sainte Marie-Madeleine.
History
The construction of the Château de la Madeleine began between 1020 and 1090, under Guy I, lord of Chevreuse. The objective was to protect the village of Chevreuse against pillage. From this period, only the keep remains. At this time, the keep was surrounded by a wooden palisade; this palisade was replaced by stone curtain walls during the 12th century.
One century later, probably under the reign of Anseau de Chevreuse, the castle was modified, notably with the construction of the machicolations. The gatehouse was protected by a moat; the water was retained by a dam for domestic use.
The castles changed hands in 1356: Ingerger le Grand, lord of Chevreuse and
Amboise
Amboise (; ) is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department in central France. Today a small market town, it was once home of the French royal court.
Geography
Amboise lies on the banks of the river Loire, east of Tours. It is also about away ...
, was taken prisoner by England during the Hundred Years' War. He was constrained to sell his domain to pay his ransom; the castle was bought by the future Pierre de Chevreuse.
The existing
fortification
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere' ...
s were largely improved under the reigns of
Charles V Charles V may refer to:
* Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558)
* Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain
* Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise
* Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690)
* Infa ...
and Charles VI; they financed the outworks with royal taxes. The modifications were completed under
Louis XI
Louis XI (3 July 1423 – 30 August 1483), called "Louis the Prudent" (french: le Prudent), was King of France from 1461 to 1483. He succeeded his father, Charles VII.
Louis entered into open rebellion against his father in a short-lived revol ...
(1461 – 1483). Along with the castle, the village was also fortified: a crenelated rampart, high with turrets, was built. The defence was completed by a 15 m large ditch (50 feet).
Circa 1661,
Jean Racine
Jean-Baptiste Racine ( , ) (; 22 December 163921 April 1699) was a French dramatist, one of the three great playwrights of 17th-century France, along with Molière and Corneille as well as an important literary figure in the Western traditi ...
supervised modifications of the keep; his name was given to the road from the convent of
Port-Royal Port Royal is the former capital city of Jamaica.
Port Royal or Port Royale may also refer to:
Institutions
* Port-Royal-des-Champs, an abbey near Paris, France, which spawned influential schools and writers of the 17th century
** Port-Royal A ...
to the center of the village, passing by the Château de la Madeleine. The keep was partially restored during the 19th century.
The last modifications were in the 20th century. The heart of the castle now houses the park headquarters for the regional natural park of the valley of Chevreuse (french: Parc naturel régional de la Haute Vallée de Chevreuse); the modern architecture is mixed with the square towers, and uses old rooms.
Present state
The intact parts are:
*the complete curtain wall with two square towers in the east, facing the village;
*the main door surrounded by two towers; the stone pediment collapsed and was replaced by a wooden lintel;
*two round towers; one is semicircular, the other is surmounted by a turret for watching;
*the keep, having small openings from the 11th century on one side, and windows from the 15th century on the other front;
*a well (15th century)
*machicolations, on the top of the ramparts.
The castle is open to the public for free. A few rooms are accessible; an exhibition shows the history of the castle.
The Château de la Madeleine has been protected by the
French Ministry of Culture
The Ministry of Culture (french: Ministère de la Culture) is the ministry of the Government of France in charge of national museums and the . Its goal is to maintain the French identity through the promotion and protection of the arts (visua ...
Duke of Chevreuse Duke of Chevreuse (French ''Duc de Chevreuse'') was a French title of nobility, elevated from the barony of Chevreuse in 1545. Originally created for Jean de Brosse, Duc d'Étampes, it was transferred in 1555 to Charles of Guise, the Cardinal of ...
*
List of castles in France
This is a list of castles in France, arranged by Region and Department.
;Notes:
# The French word ''château'' has a wider meaning than the English ''castle'': it includes architectural entities that are properly called palaces, mansions or vine ...