The Château des Matignon (; also named the ‘château de Torigni’) is a former princely residence located in Torigni-sur-Vire in the

Manche Manche (, ; Norman language, Norman: ) is a coastal Departments of France, French ''département'' in Normandy (administrative region), Normandy on the English Channel, which is known as , literally "the sleeve", in French. Manche is bordered by ...

department,

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

, northwestern

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 southern wing that you see today is all that remains of the castle from the 16th and 17th centuries. Originally, there were three wings enclosing a main courtyard that opened to the west, but it suffered substantial damage during the French Revolution. The castle's history is closely related to the Matignon family and the princely family of Monaco, the

House of Grimaldi The House of Grimaldi is the Dynasty, reigning house of the Monaco, Principality of Monaco. The house was founded in 1160 by Grimaldo Canella in Genoa and became the ruling house of Monaco when François Grimaldi, Francesco Grimaldi captured Mo ...

. Presently, the château is owned by the local municipality, serving both as its administrative offices and as a museum.

History

Middle Ages

In the 12th century a castle was erected on the very spot where the present château stands. It belonged to

Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester Robert FitzRoy, 1st Earl of Gloucester (c. 1090 – 31 October 1147 David Crouch, 'Robert, first earl of Gloucester (b. c. 1090, d. 1147)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 200Retrieved 1 ...

(1090–1147), an

illegitimate Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as ''b ...

son of

King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

Henry I of England Henry I ( – 1 December 1135), also known as Henry Beauclerc, was King of England from 1100 to his death in 1135. He was the fourth son of William the Conqueror and was educated in Latin and the liberal arts. On William's death in 1087, Henr ...

and half-brother of the

Empress Matilda Empress Matilda (10 September 1167), also known as Empress Maud, was one of the claimants to the English throne during the civil war known as the Anarchy. The daughter and heir of Henry I, king of England and ruler of Normandy, she went to ...

, who he supported during the civil war known as

the Anarchy The Anarchy was a civil war in England and Duchy of Normandy, Normandy between 1138 and 1153, which resulted in a widespread breakdown in law and order. The conflict was a war of succession precipitated by the accidental death of William Adel ...

. Robert gained possession of Torigni castle through his marriage to Mabel FitzRobert, daughter and heir of Robert Fitzhamon. He enhanced the castle's defenses by adding towers and ramparts surrounded by ditches. Moreover, a substantial water barrier surrounded the castle, rendering it nearly impregnable. On 12 May 1203, the

Bretons The Bretons (; or , ) are an ethnic group native to Brittany, north-western France. Originally, the demonym designated groups of Common Brittonic, Brittonic speakers who emigrated from Dumnonia, southwestern Great Britain, particularly Cornwal ...

, allies of the

French king France was ruled by monarchs from the establishment of the kingdom of West Francia in 843 until the end of the Second French Empire in 1870, with several interruptions. Classical French historiography usually regards Clovis I, king of the Fra ...

Philipp II, ruined the castle during a raid into Normandy. But it is rebuilt afterwards. Also, during the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy ...

, the castle is captured by knights of the

English king This list of kings and reigning queens of the Kingdom of England begins with Alfred the Great, who initially ruled Wessex, one of the seven Anglo-Saxon kingdoms which later made up modern England. Alfred styled himself king of the Anglo-Sax ...

Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after t ...

. During the Middle Ages, the ownership of the castle and its surrounding domain passed into the hands of the ‘De Mauny’ family. The last descendant and heiress of this lineage, Marguerite Mauny, married Jean de Goyon de Matignon in 1421. This marks the establishment in Normandy of the Goyon de Matignon family, who were originally from

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

. The castle itself is then made up of three wings surrounding a courtyard. Jean's son, Bertrand IV, had his services for France rewarded with an elevation of Thorigny to a barony. Later in the 16th century, Thorigny becomes a county.

16th and 17th centuries

Jacques I de Goyon de Matignon and his son Jacques II (1525–1598) transform the medieval castle into a Renaissance-style residence. Significant portions of the medieval fortifications are dismantled to accommodate the construction of the new castle. They create over time two pavilions which are connected by a long gallery, based on plan by master mason François Gabriel. Charles, the son of Jacques II, adds a third pavilion and second wing at the start of the 17th century. Around 1630, the château reaches its completion. File: Thorigny Chateau de Matignon 001.png , View of the renaissance castle File: Thorigny Chateau de Matignon 002.png , View of the renaissance castle File: Torigni Château des Matignon Plan of the ground floor.jpg , Ground floor of the renaissance castle File: Torigni Château des Matignon Plan of the premier floor.jpg , First floor of the renaissance castle File: Torigni Château des Matignon Plan of the second floor.jpg , Second floor of the renaissance castle

18th century

At the start of the 18th century, Jacques III (1644-1725) further embellished the château: a large park was created including a magnificent cascade. His son, Jacques IV (1689–1751) makes the connection to

Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...

, as he marries

Louise Hippolyte, Princess of Monaco Louise Hippolyte (10 November 1697 – 29 December 1731) was List of rulers of Monaco, Princess of Monaco from 20 February 1731 until her death in December that same year. She was one of only two women to rule Monaco (along with Claudine, Lady o ...

(1697–1731), the heiress to the throne of Monaco. In 1731, Jacques IV became Jacques I, prince of Monaco, establishing a lasting connection between the Matignon and Grimaldi families. The Prince of Monaco still bears the title ‘baron of Thorigny’. Both prince Jacques I and his son prince

Honoré III Honoré is a name of French origin and may refer to several people or places: Given name Sovereigns of Monaco Lords of Monaco * Honoré I of Monaco Princes of Monaco * Honoré II of Monaco *Honoré III of Monaco * Honoré IV of Monaco * Honoré ...

(1720–1795) did not spend much time in Monaco. Their primary residences were the

Hôtel Matignon The Hôtel Matignon (, ) is the official residence of the Prime Minister of France. It is located in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, at 57 Rue de Varenne. The name Matignon is often used as a metonym for the governmental action of the French p ...

in Paris (the current

official residence An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless of whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority (either their own or that of th ...

of the

Prime Minister of France The prime minister of France (), officially the prime minister of the French Republic (''Premier ministre de la République française''), is the head of government of the French Republic and the leader of its Council of Ministers. The prime ...

) and the Château des Matignon as the summer residence. Antoine Grimaldi, le

Chevalier de Grimaldi Antoine Grimaldi, le Chevalier eGrimaldi, (Paris, 2 October 1697 – Monaco, 28 November 1784) was the de facto ruler of Monaco between 1732 and 1784. An illegitimate son of Antonio I of Monaco and the dancer Élisabeth Dufort (named ''Babé''), ...

, (1697–1784) acted as a regent in Monaco for the absent prince between 1732 and 1784.

French Revolution and Napoleonic times

In December 1793, during the French Revolution, the property of the Grimaldi family of Monaco was confiscated, and the castle was transformed into a prison, a dark period that lasted until January 1795. In March 1805, the castle was put up for auction and acquired by General Santerre (1752–1809). However, his attempts to secure the necessary funds fell short, leaving the iconic residence once again on the market. Ultimately, it was bought by a real estate agent for the sum of 1.6 million pounds. With the winning bid secured, a wave of radical changes swept through the property. Two wings of the château were demolished. Forests were cleared, the greenhouse was dismantled, and the cascades were obliterated, signalling the end of a lavish era.

19th century

In 1817, under leadership of the mayor at the time, Mr. Chartier de la Varignière, a pivotal decision is made: He convinced the municipal council to purchase the only remaining wing of the castle with the intention of converting it into a town hall. Around 1840, the municipality erected the east pavilion aiming to reinstate the architectural equilibrium disrupted by previous demolitions. Today, this pavilion plays a crucial role in safeguarding the harmony and heritage of this remarkable structure.

20th century

On 12 June 1944, after the town centre of Torigni was bombarded, only four walls of the château remained. The efforts of successive town councils to restore the castle, while not returning it to its original splendour, have ensured that it remains an impressive historic monument. Since then, the efforts of various municipalities have been focused on the restoration of the castle. In 2004, the castle's clock, stopped at the time of the 1944 bombing, was restored to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the

D-Day landings The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...

. Today, the castle houses municipal offices and exhibition rooms.

References

Literature

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External links

* {{coord, 49.0341, -0.9788, type:landmark_region:FR, display=title Châteaux in Manche House of Grimaldi Monuments historiques of Manche