History
article | Reading time6 min
An elegant Renaissance residence marked by the deep grief of a noble woman, a work of art looted but then restored, a refuge for Mona Lisa during the the Second World War... Montal castle has been through so many adventures ! Immerse yourself in the history of this romantic, multi-faceted place...
Let's go back in time
Before Montal, there was...
The estate on which the château stands wasn't always called Montal ! Originally, the site was made up of two seigneuries, Saint-Jean and Saint-Pierre, united in the second half of the 14th century. They passed to the Bonafos family in the 14th century, then to the Miers in the 15th. The latter lived in the "repaire" of Saint-Pierre. Expert eyes can search for its only vestige, a window on the north-west façade !
The name Montal comes from a land in the Cantal region. It first appeared in the early 16th century with the arrival of Jeanne de Balsac, wife of Amaury II de Montal.
© David Bordes - Centre des monuments nationaux
Jeanne de Balsac's Renaissance home
Have you ever heared about the woman of character who built Montal ?
Jeanne de Balsac found herself alone with five children in 1510, after the death of her husband Amaury. This independent widow obtained the right to raise them alone, and was determined to enrich their inheritance ! From 1519, she built the new Château de Montal, on a land she owned, near Castelnau-Bretenoux where her mother Antoinette had grown up.
Montal was the home of a woman educated in humanist thought . Jeanne is the daughter of Robert de Balsac, known for his participation in the italian wars, and for his treatises on military strategy and morality. Marked by her intellectual heritage, Jeanne commissioned a castle inspired by italian models. The refined decor, borrowed from Antiquity, reflects her great culture, but also her family history. Portraits of her loved ones, both living and deceased, are sculpted on the courtyard facades. The rich ornamentation of the dormer windows expresses her grief as a mother bereaved by the loss of her eldest son, Robert de Montal. There's also a recurring message, "Plus d'espoir" ("No hope left"), which perhaps contains a double meaning...
© David Bordes - Centre des monuments nationaux
From the 17th to the 19th century : uncertain times...
At the end of the 16th century , Montal passed into the hands of the de Pérusse d'Escars family. Little inhabited by Jeanne's descendants, it was finally sold to the Plas de Tannes in 1771. The latter are known to have lived there in luxury.
The following century saw Montal's darkest hours... Abandoned since the Revolution, it was transformed into a farm, and then an inn. By 1879, the place had fallen into disrepair. A speculator bought Montal to resell its precious carved decorations. These were (carefully !) ripped out and transported to Paris. Following two auctions, in 1881 and 1903, they were dispersed to museums and collections in France and abroad...
© Reproduction de Jean-Luc Paillé - Centre des monuments nationaux
From the 20th century to the present day: rescue in more ways than one!
At the beginning of the 20th century, Montal was saved by Maurice Fenaille, a major industrialist and patron of the arts. of the time. This wealthy man bought the building and estate in 1908. He took on the challenge of restoring the château in anly five years time ! He restored most of the decor and had Rodin's workshop reproduce the missing pieces. When the work was completed in 1913, he donated the château to the French state !
During the Second World War, Montal welcomed war "refugees". The best-known of these were the paintings from the Louvre, including the famous Mona Lisa kept on the first floor from 1943 to 1945.
Today, the Centre des Monuments Nationaux keeps alive the memory of this exceptional witness to history through restoration work, new facilities, a team of enthusiastic guides and regular events.
© Reproduction Centre des monuments nationaux
