Photo : Wikimedia Commons
Château de Montlhéry
The fortress of Montlhéry, in the Essonne, which controlled the road to Orléans, was one of the keys to Paris, and its strategic position made it a vital stake for the Capetian kings. The first construction, on 'la Motte' at the foot of the hill, dates from around 1015. In 1104 Philip I obtained the stronghold, in 1106 the future Louis VI ordered all its fortifications razed except the tower, and in 1118 it was finally joined to the royal domain.
The upper part of the keep, of the late 14th century, is attributed to Olivier de Clisson, who held the castle from 1382 to 1392; he added four storeys served by an external stair tower, with a machicolated wall walk on the fourth. The chapel, whose foundations survive on the south-east edge of the ditch, was built by Saint Louis in 1254. The site was already ruined by 1547. During the Wars of Religion it served as a Calvinist headquarters, and in 1591 the inhabitants obtained its dismantling from Henry IV; it then served as a stone quarry. The first restoration was by Henri Labrouste in 1842, and in 1844 the commune bought the land around the tower to create a public promenade.
