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THE MENETOU-SALON CASTLE The Jacques-Cœur Route was initiated in 1954 by the owners of the castles of Culan, Ainay-le-Vieil and Meillant. First of all called « Tour of the Castles in the Heart of France », the oldest French Historical Route offered visits as well as night discovery and illumination on their sites ; the fashion was set. For 53 years, the Jacques-Cœur Route has not stopped evolving and innovating for the visitors’ greatest pleasure. Half a century later, the number of members has increased and the Route now counts 16 members. JACQUES COEUR He was born in Bourges in 1400 in a house close to the church of Saint-Pierre-le-Marché, rue de la Parerie, where his father was a furrier seller. He spends his childhood in the area of rue des Toiles, beneath the city wall and not far from the Palace of Duke Jean. He manages one of the twelve exchanges of the town at an early age. Jacques Cœur becomes a merchant at a much more important scale than his back then competitors. A merchant but also a banker, a shipowner, an industrial, a mine master in the Forez, he is contemporary with Joan of Arc, Gilles de Rais, and he is Agnès Sorel’s confident. He builds roads, sets counters « to make business with the unfaithful », creates a float of vessels and the trade with the Levant becomes very prosperous. He is a " manager " with great modernity, both a collector on salt taxes, Commissioner of the Languedoc State, and master of the Money and Superintendent of Finances for the King. He builds a commercial network of highest importance with Montpellier, then Lyon, Avignon, Limoges, Rouen and Paris. As described by his biographers, " He created, without being aware of it, multinational companies and enterprises with several subsidiaries and managed to stop devaluation of the money", rubbing shoulders with kings, princes and popes. As a matter of fact, the fortune of the Superintendent of Finance was not entirely due to the sale of fabrics or furs to the nobility of the Court, nor to the manufacture of gold with low metals as whispered among the alchemists. It was surely more simple and more profitable : he was “playing” on the exchange rates of Gold and Silver between the West and the Levant. Jacques Cœur is ennobled in 1441, and two years later, he purchases a plot of land to build his " grand house ", what we call the palace. The works start fast, but technical difficulties appear because the construction is done on part of the Gallo-Roman city wall. In 1450, the Palace is almost finished. Jacques Cœur throws a party in the Feast Room, for the reception organised further to the accession as archbishop of his son, Jean. This will be one of the rare occasions for Jacques Cœur to enjoy his palace. Jacques Cœur is arrested by order of King Charles VII on July 31, 1451. He is thrown in jail on ten counts, more or less serious. But back then, one did not joke with avowals. Tortured and questioned, he admits everything his detractors want him to say and he is sentenced on May 23, 1453. He will end his adventurous life as in a cloak and dagger novel. He escapes from jail, gets to Roma and the Pope, charters a float of vessels in the name of his renowned host and goes to fight the unfaithful. He dies on November 25, 1456, on the Island of Chio, most probably during a naval fight against Turkish. THE SITES The castles and monuments have many surprises in store, at each stage of this road. The Castle of Menetou-Salon is located between the Castle of Verrerie and Bourges, not far from the Castle of Maupas. It is also in the very heart of the vineyards of Menetou-Salon. With the Castle of Maupas, it is the only castle offering its Menetou-Salon wines to the visitors. The Jacques Cœur Route is the opportunity for the visitor to discover privileged places. The outside of Castle Meillant, and its Gothic flamboyant style is magnificent, with its lion tower and a touch of Italian influence ; Renaissance is under way. The inside, magnificently furnished, has kept the charm of 1505 years from the visit of King Louis XII…. the latter came to visit his relative Charles d'Amboise, who was absent from his dwelling on that particular day, which infuriated the King. The official trips of the men in high places have indeed changed since. La Bussière and its Fishermen Castle located in the middle of a lake is surrounded by grounds imagined by Le Nôtre, while Gien, built by Anne de Beaujeu in 1484 includes a Museum of Shooting that is the sole of its kind in France. This castle in the old times included a pigeon house “where e-mails arrived” by way of 4000 homing pigeons ! Inside the castles, the visitor discovers particularly rich pieces of furniture. It should be stressed that most of the times, these places are occupied by their hosts, which gives them a very special character. One also discovers collections or unique objects. Weepers from the tomb of Duke Jean de Berry are presented at La Verrerie, while Maupas owns a collection of earthenware plates from France, with 887 plates displayed to the public. In Bourges the Jacques Cœur Palace for years referred to as "Grand House" is the nicest civil monument of the 15th century. In Ainay-le-Vieil, sometimes referred to as little Carcassonne due to its typology, one finds souvenirs of the main figures of the history of France, Louis XII of course, but also Colbert, Marie-Antoinette and even Napoleon. This castle has been the property of the same family since … 1467 and a walk across the grounds and the rose garden allows to remember of our medieval history and to think about Anne de Bretagne. Other place, other figure : In Argent-sur Sauldre, with the souvenir of a man closer to our time, the priest of Moreux, a famous scholarly of the 20th century. By his observations and researches on alchemy, he would have loved to work on gold and silver in the Jacques Cœur mines located in the mountains around Lyon. The castle, built by Victor Louis includes a magnificent museum of the French Crafts and Traditions. The towns that are members of Jacques Cœur Route, have in common a great passion for the Superintendent of Finances and generally speaking for history. In Saint-Amand-Montrond , the souvenir of Sully or the Grand Condé haunts the fortress and the undergrounds of the fortress of Montrond, while the Saint Vic museum owns pieces of art and among which sculptures from Popineau. When you are in Saint-Amand Montrond, do not miss the City of Gold, a pyramid-shaped palace of the modern times. The Abbey of Noirlac next to Saint-Amand is a must. This Cistercian abbey founded in 1150 and saved by Prosper Mérimée, is a pure masterpiece of what Saint Bernard wanted to do as a reaction to the Cluny Orders. Aubigny-sur-Nère, is the city of the Stuarts, with a powerful Franco-Scottish Alliance. The half-timbered houses are splendid. As for Dun-sur-Auron, formerly know as Dun-le-Roi, its ramparts and particularly its belfry are typical of the architecture of the 15th century. Bourges lastly, with the Palace, but also the contribution of Jacques Cœur in the Bourges cathedral, on which he spent a lot of money. But remember : his son Jean was archbishop of Bourges. One must see the sacristy and its stained-glass windows, or its chapel, representing the Annunciation, which is one of the finest French stained-glass window of the 15the century. The largest majority of these castles are occupied and it is possible to rub shoulders with the hosts, all born in famous families, among which the one of Jacques Cœur by his son Geoffroy; it is the case of Béraud de Vogüe in La Verrerie, of Marie-France de Peyronnet in Ainay le Vieil and of the Princess d’Arenberg in Menetou-Salon Castle. Vente de vin de Menetou Salon : http://www.boutiquemenetou.com |