Description of the attraction
Chateau Montjoffroy is one of the few castles in the Loire Valley that have managed to fully preserve their interior and furnishings. There are only three such castles in the Loire Valley. Montjoffroy Castle is located in the Maine-et-Loire department, near Angers and very close, just one kilometer from the city of Maz. Currently, the heirs of the founder of Montjoffroy live in the castle, while the castle remains open to tourists.
The castle of Montjoffroy was built by the governor of Alsace, Marshal Louis-Georges Erasmus Contad, who in the middle of the 17th century bore the title of commander-in-chief of the French army. In 1676, he acquired land on which there was already a certain U-shaped structure. In 1772, the construction of a new castle began on these lands, and the builders adhered to the same shape in the form of a horseshoe. The work was supervised by the famous metropolitan architect Jean-Benoit Vincent Barre and his local colleague named Cimier.
From the castle, erected for Marshal Contad, two towers, the chapel of St. Catherine with beautiful stained-glass windows, a moat surrounding the castle, and a stable have survived. A courdoner was built in front of the building - a ceremonial courtyard with a wide staircase, the roof of the castle was covered with slate, and from its windows one could admire the landscapes of the Loire Valley.
Marshal Contad equipped the castle in accordance with his whims - in particular, he was known as a loving person and had several mistresses, and in the castle itself secret rooms and the same secret staircase were equipped. The owner of the castle decorated his dwelling with tapestries and paintings, beautiful furniture and curtains - all this has survived and was not plundered either during the Great French Revolution or during the Vendée uprising. It is believed that the castle was helped to save the local residents who respected the merits of the marshal.
