The Château de Mehun-sur-Yèvre is a castle in the town of

Mehun-sur-Yèvre Mehun-sur-Yèvre (, literally ''Mehun on Yèvre'') is a commune in the Cher department in central France. Population Economy The French porcelain manufacturer Pillivuyt is based locally. See also *Communes of the Cher department The fo ...

in the '' department'' of

Cher Cher ( ; born Cheryl Sarkisian, May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Goddess of Pop", she is known for her Androgyny, androgynous contralto voice, Music an ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. The castle has been classified as a ''

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 collection of buildings, ...

'' by the

French Ministry of Culture The Ministry of Culture () is the ministry (government department), ministry of the Government of France in charge of List of museums in France, national museums and the . Its goal is to maintain the French identity through the promotion and pro ...

since 1840.

History

The existence of a fortification at the site of Mehun-sur-Yèvre dates from antiquity. The major remains are of the early 13th century and the later 14th century. The present standing ruins date from a castle founded under the Courtenays after 1209. This fortress was transformed into a princely residence by

John, Duke of Berry John of Berry or John the Magnificent (French language, French: ''Jean de Berry'', ; 30 November 1340 – 15 June 1416) was Duke of Berry and Rulers of Auvergne, Auvergne and Count of Poitiers and Montpensier. His brothers were King Charles ...

in 1367. Largely ruined in the 18th century the castle represented an excellent example of late

Gothic architecture Gothic architecture is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High Middle Ages, High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It evolved f ...

and early

Renaissance architecture Renaissance architecture is the European architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 16th centuries in different regions, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of Ancient Greece, ancient Greek and ...

Charles VII of France Charles VII (22 February 1403 – 22 July 1461), called the Victorious () or the Well-Served (), was King of France from 1422 to his death in 1461. His reign saw the end of the Hundred Years' War and a ''de facto'' end of the English claims to ...

, died in the castle on July 22, 1461.

Description of the castle

The castle is built on a trapezoid plan, and originally had a tall cylindrical tower at each corner and a rectangular tower in the middle of one of the long sides. An entrance was formed in the wall between two of the towers. One tower (12m diameter) was much larger than the others (8m) and served as the

keep A keep 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 castles that were fortified residen ...

. The keep and the west tower still stand to their full height, each capped with intricate defensive

machicolations In architecture, a machicolation () is an opening between the supporting corbels of a battlement through which defenders could target attackers who had reached the base of the defensive wall. A smaller related structure that only protects key poi ...

. Manuscript illustrations indicate that the castle also had a large chapel above the principal entrance.

Gallery

File: Chateau de Mehun sur Yevre.jpg , Reconstruction of the castle in its heyday File: Les ruines du Château Charles VII à Mehun sur Yèvre (Cher 18).jpg , The castle today

References

External links

Article and photos of the Château de Mehun-sur-Yèvre

Château de Mehun-sur-Yèvre (lot pictures, history, in French)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mehun Sur Yevre, Chateau De Castles in Centre-Val de Loire Royal residences in France Monuments historiques of Cher (department)