Wandering around Chateau de Montresor. A 5 minute video giving a flavour of this magnificent chateau

Описание: We visited Chateau de Montresor in September 2022 whilst visiting the village of Montresor. From almost every point in the village the Chateau is visible and looks magnificent. Chateau de Montresor is a lovely chateau to visit, not as grand as some but one of the few with that 'lived in' personal feel. It was raining during our visit but that really didn't matter. Once inside the chateau you are free to roam and wander, it really is well worth a visit.

At the start of the 11th century, Foulques Nerra who was responsible for many of the medieval fortresses of the Loire Valley, had one built on top of a rocky promontory overlooking the Indrois Valley as a defence against potential invaders. A double enclosure wall surrounding the keep is still apparent. The massive corner towers and the 12th century gate towers remain impressive because of their powerful feudal architecture designed for defensive purposes.

The chateau passed into the hands of the Bastarnay family in 1493. They had a fine residence built within the fortress walls and also founded the collegiate church.It became a charming peacetime residence surrounded by the original feudal defence system. Over time it past into the ownership of the Beauvilliers family where it remained for over a century until 1831.
In 1849, Xavier Branicki,a Polish count who had developed a friendship with Napoléon III, acquired the château. Army officer, politician and financier, he was one of the founders of the Crédit Foncier de France bank in 1852. A noteworthy art collector and patron, the count decorated the château with many valuable pieces of furniture, paintings and art objects. He was also the one who donated paintings to the collegiate church that had originally been part of the collection of Cardinal Fesch, the uncle of Napoléon.

There is an interesting spiral staircase that gives an alternative route up to the billiard room. This feature plus the fine collections make it an interesting detour if you are touring the surrounding area.The castle still belongs to the descendants of Count Branicki today and don't be surprised to bump into a family member on your visit.

The Romantic Gardens of the castle of Montrésor are charming and beautiful overlooking the valley of the Indrois. You will discover many hundred-year-old trees, as well as two remarkable sculptures by Constantino Corti and Jules Franceschi. Redesigned in the second half of the nineteenth century, the gardens with their romantic spirit will delight you with their many views of one of the most beautiful villages of France.

There is a local legend surrounding the name of Montrésor, a popular version of which tells that many many years ago when a handsome prince and his servant stopped at the rocks near the village, exhausted from much travelling, the servant dreamed of marrying a beautiful princess, far above his station. He woke to find a lizard crawling over his master's face.

As he went to kill it, the prince awoke and realised the lizard had a message for them. It disappeared into a hole in the rock to reappear a moment later covered in gold dust. Opening the hole the two men discovered gold beyond their wildest dreams. The prince was able to build a castle on top of the rock, calling it Mon Trésor and putting his servant in charge. The servant was now rich enough to marry the beautiful princess of his dreams and they all lived happily ever after. A less romantic, if not more plausible meaning for the name is that one of the original lords of the village was treasurer of the cathedral at Tours so the place was known as "mons thesauri," or the mount of the treasurer eventually becoming Montrésor.