Vendôme Castle

En un regard

Le château en bref

The remains of Vendôme Castle overlook the Loir. A fortified site is mentioned there as early as 587; stone fortifications appear in the 11th century, with the founding of the collegiate church of Saint-Georges by Agnes of Burgundy. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the castle was given a vast enclosure measuring 170 by 100 metres around the Tour de Poitiers. Louis, future Prince of Condé, was born there on 7 May 1530. In 1589, Henry IV, Duke of Vendôme by paternal inheritance, besieged his own capital, defended by the Catholic governor Maillé de Bénéhart, who capitulated in less than a day. Duke César de Vendôme carried out major renovations around 1620–1630. After the duchy was annexed to the Crown by Louis XIV in 1712, the castle fell into neglect; divided into six lots sold at auction after 1791, it was systematically dismantled for its building materials in the 19th century. The Comte de Beaumont preserved the surviving remains (1815–1824); ivy hedges planted in 1935 trace the outline of the original building. The ruins are listed and registered as monuments historiques.