The Château de la Madeleine is a
castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
located in the town of
Chevreuse, in the French ''
département'' of
Yvelines (
ÃŽle 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
A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in c ...
remains. At this time, the keep was surrounded by a wooden
palisade
A palisade, sometimes called a stakewall or a paling, is typically a fence or defensive wall made from iron or wooden stakes, or tree trunks, and used as a defensive structure or enclosure. Palisades can form a stockade.
Etymology
''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
machicolation
A machicolation (french: mâchicoulis) is a floor opening between the supporting corbels of a battlement, through which stones or other material, such as boiling water, hot sand, quicklime or boiling cooking oil, could be dropped on attackers at t ...
s. The gatehouse was protected by a
moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...
; the water was retained by a dam for domestic use.
The castles changed hands in 1356: Ingerger le Grand, lord of Chevreuse and
Amboise, was taken prisoner by England during the
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French Crown, ...
. He was constrained to sell his domain to pay his ransom; the castle was bought by the future Pierre de Chevreuse.
The existing
fortifications were largely improved under the reigns of
Charles V and
Charles VI; they financed the
outwork
An outwork is a minor fortification built or established outside the principal fortification limits, detached or semidetached. Outworks such as ravelins, lunettes (demilunes), flèches and caponiers to shield bastions and fortification curtains ...
s with royal taxes. The modifications were completed under
Louis XI (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 supervised modifications of the keep; his name was given to the road from the convent of
Port-Royal 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 as a ''
monument historique
''Monument historique'' () is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which National Heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a coll ...
'' since 1940.
See also
*
Duke of Chevreuse
*
List of castles in France
References
External links
The Chateau de la Madeleine is also the office of the Haute Vallée de Chevreuse Natural Regional ParkPhotos and some history of the Château de la Madeleine
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Madeleine, chateau
Castles in ÃŽle-de-France
Monuments historiques of ÃŽle-de-France
Historic house museums in ÃŽle-de-France
Museums in Yvelines
Tourist attractions in Yvelines