Château de Monthoiron: A Fortified Château in France
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.5
- Popularity
- Low
- Country
- France
- Primary era
- Medieval
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Medieval, Early Modern
- Civilizations
- French
- Site type
- Military
- Remains
- Castle
On this page5 sections
History
Château de Monthoiron is a historic fortified château in Monthoiron, France, whose development extended from the eleventh to the sixteenth century. The site began with an oppidum, a fortified settlement, in the eleventh century, before the château took shape through later building phases.
The château belonged to the Turpin de Crissé family until 1 July 1632. A fire ravaged the complex in 1857, leaving two surviving towers. Recent publications and research projects have attributed the design of the fortress tower to Leonardo da Vinci, the Italian Renaissance artist, engineer, architect, and inventor who worked in France during the final years of his life. An international scholarly gathering at Romorantin confirmed this attribution in 2010.
Château de Monthoiron remains privately owned. The square tower was listed as a historic monument on 31 December 1993, and the fortress tower was classified as a historic monument on 29 January 1996.
Remains
Only two towers survive from the château, forming the remaining architectural evidence of the fortified complex. They consist of a square tower and a round fortress tower, the latter also known as the Powder Tower or the Architect’s Tower.
Surviving Towers
Square Tower
The square tower is one of the two surviving structures of Château de Monthoiron. Its remains represent part of the château’s construction history, which extended from the eleventh to the sixteenth century.
Round Fortress Tower
The round fortress tower is also called the Powder Tower and the Architect’s Tower. Its architectural design has been attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, an attribution confirmed by the international scholarly community assembled at Romorantin in 2010. The tower was classified as a historic monument on 29 January 1996.
