The Château de Matval is a 13th-15th century

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 ...

in the ''

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

'' of

Bonneveau Bonneveau () is a commune in the Loir-et-Cher department in central France. Population Sights and monuments * Château de Matval, 13-15th century castle, protected since 1971 as a '' monument historique'' by the French Ministry of Culture * ...

in the

Loir-et-Cher Loir-et-Cher (, ) is a department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France. Its name is originated from two rivers which cross it, the Loir in its northern part and the Cher in its southern part. Its prefecture is Blois. The INSEE and La P ...

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 France. Added to the inventory of

monuments historiques ''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 ...

, its façades and roofs have been protected since 18 October 1971 and the castle in its entirety since 8 April 2009.

History

The

Merovingian The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from the middle of the 5th century until 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the Franks and northern Gauli ...

castrum In the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, the Latin word ''castrum'', plural ''castra'', was a military-related term. In Latin usage, the singular form ''castrum'' meant 'fort', while the plural form ''castra'' meant 'camp'. The singular and ...

'', named Matoval, was destroyed by the Normans in the 10th century. This Merovingian domain had been founded in the 6th century by King Childebert I, son of Clovis I. The grandson of

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Em ...

came here to take refuge. In 1459, the

fiefdom A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of ...

was given to Jean, an illegitimate son of

Louis, Count of Vendôme Louis de Bourbon (Louis I, Count of Vendôme) (1376 – December 21, 1446), younger son of John I, Count of La Marche and Catherine de Vendôme, was a French '' prince du sang'', as well as Count of Vendôme from 1393, and Count of Castres from 142 ...

. The present castle was built by the powerful counts of Bourbon Vendôme, ancestors of King

Henri IV Henry IV (french: Henri IV; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry or Henry the Great, was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 1610. He was the first monarch ...

to whom the castle later belonged. Under

Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Ve ...

, the

Marquis de Louvois A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman wi ...

, his famous Minister of War, made it his home, followed by a succession of notable people including

Napoleon II , house = Bonaparte , father = Napoleon I, Emperor of the French , mother = Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma , birth_date = , birth_place = Tuileries Palace, Paris, French Empire ...

. Matval is equally renowned as the origin of the

rennet Rennet () is a complex set of enzymes produced in the stomachs of ruminant mammals. Chymosin, its key component, is a protease enzyme that curdles the casein in milk. In addition to chymosin, rennet contains other enzymes, such as pepsin and ...

apple variety, ''reinettes du Mans''. In effect, Childebert I, having brought

grafts Grafting refers to a surgical procedure to move tissue from one site to another on the body, or from another creature, without bringing its own blood supply with it. Instead, a new blood supply grows in after it is placed. A similar techniqu ...

of apple trees from Spain, planted them himself in his park, creating what became the most famous apple in France. It is said that the ''reinettes du Mans'' were so-named in honour of the two daughters of the King, the "''Réginettes''".

Architecture

The castle's vestiges testify to an architecture specific to the military buildings of their time. The south-eastern corner of the house is a wall pierced by

arrowslit An arrowslit (often also referred to as an arrow loop, loophole or loop hole, and sometimes a balistraria) is a narrow vertical aperture in a fortification through which an archer can launch arrows or a crossbowman can launch bolts. The interi ...

s, remains of a construction provided with arrowslits and a ''

bretèche In medieval fortification, a bretèche or brattice is a small balcony with machicolations, usually built over a gate and sometimes in the corners of the fortress' wall, with the purpose of enabling defenders to shoot or throw objects at the attack ...

'', which connected the building to a round tower. Underground galleries run under the hill and the castle. The Merovingian mint is a reminder that the domain was royal and that coins were minted here. The statuette by the entrance is a jewel of the Merovingian age and unique in Europe. The manor with its round tower, the

motte A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively eas ...

and its troglodytic habitation were listed as ''monument historique''s on 18 November 1971. The chapel built against the motte, the grounds of the inner courtyards, the ditches and the lower courtyard were added on 8 April 2009.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Matval, chateau de Castles in Centre-Val de Loire Monuments historiques of Centre-Val de Loire Buildings and structures in Loir-et-Cher

History

Architecture

See also

References

External links