Montrond Castle

Montrond Castle, locally known as Château de Montrond, lies in the city of Montrond-les-Bains, in the Loire department in France.

The site of the castle, a rounded hill of volcanic rock in the Forez plain near the Loire River, was already fortified in the 12th century. That fortification, belonging to the Counts of Forez, was probably just a round tower.

In 1302, Count Jean I of Forez transferred Montrond and its tower to Arthaud III de Saint-Germain, and around 1325, Arthaud IV began the construction of a more substantial fortified castle. When Arthaud VII married Marguerite d’Albon, which helped elevate the lordship's status in the early 16th century, the old fortress was transformed into a more comfortable Renaissance residence.

As Catholics, the descendants of Arthaud IX were deeply involved in the Wars of Religion during the second half of the 16th century. As a result, Montrond Castle was taken and plundered by Huguenot troops under the Baron des Adrets in 1562, and it was later occupied by forces of the Catholic League before being retaken in 1594 for Henry IV of France by Marshal d’Ornano. The family eventually moved from Montrond to the Paris area, and the last marquis was guillotined in 1793 during the French Revolution. That same year, the castle itself was burned after counter-revolutionaries had taken refuge there.

During the 19th century, the burned castle was dismantled and used as a stone quarry after it was sold to a local ironmaster in the 1820s. Preservation efforts on the abandoned castle ruin began in 1969.

Currently, Montrond Castle is a museum that can be visited for a fee. A great castle ruin.

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