HISTORY

The feudal building has lived through many centuries and played host to a variety of different personalities from the court and the arts. As outbuildings for the bishop’s palace in Tours under Saint-Martin during the 4th century, the current structure dates back to the Renaissance period, and was built by Charles VII, who presented it to his “Dame de Beauté” Agnès Sorel as a gift. It was partly destroyed by fire during the French Revolution, but was rebuilt, then in 1846 the Touraine-born author Honoré de Balzac set out to acquire it, but never managed to do so. He wanted to live there with his fervent admirer and wife, Evelyne Hanska.
On June 10th, 1846, he wrote to his wife and the famous line appears in his very famous letter:
«Moncontour est ma prédilection».

As he never managed to acquire it, the author immortalized the Château in one of his works, entitled A Woman of Thirty (from The Human Comedy, scenes from private life). “Moncontour is an old manor house located on one of the pale rocks under which flows the Loire (...). It is one of the small castles in the Touraine; it is white, pretty, with sculpted turrets embroidered like Maline lace; one of the sweet, charming castles that are reflected in the waters of the river with their bouquets of bramble, vineyards and empty pathways, long intricate balustrades, rocky cellars, ivy coverings and escarpments”.

> Read Balzac's letter
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