Château du Grand-Pressigny

Château du Grand-Pressigny and its keep were built in the early 12th century. Guillaume I de Pressigny, the area’s first known ruler, completed the construction in the late 12th or early 13th century.

The Pressigny family owned the fortress until 1301. The property in the heart of a border area gave power to the ruler who was involved in quarrels between the King of England (Richard Lionheart and John) and the King of France (Philippe-Auguste) who fought bitter battles against each other.

The fortress was owned by the Beauvau family then the Savoie-Villars family in the 15th to 16th century. The medieval building was turned into a Renaissance-style château by Marquis Honorat de Savoie-Villars, François I’s cousin and a high-ranking member of the court.

The Pressigny land changed hands several times in the 18th century: its owners included the Masson de Maison Rouge family and the Voisins, the last rulers of Pressigny. The château was sold as state property in 1796 and dismantled by its successive owners.

When the château was turned into a stone quarry in the 19th century, the local and regional councils saved the site from ruin by buying it.

The Prehistory Museum moved into the Renaissance gallery in 1955. Indre-et-Loire General Council (now Departmental Council) became the owner of the entire site in 1988. The keep lost almost all its north-eastern and south-eastern walls that same year. Today Château du Grand-Pressigny still hosts the Le Grand-Pressigny Museum.

References:

• Musée de Préhistoire du Grand-Pressigny

Address

Rue du Four Banal 8, Le Grand-Pressigny, France

Details

Founded: 12th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in France
Historical period: Birth of Capetian dynasty (France)