During the Revolution, the chateau sustained several important losses, including the theft of sculptures and armaments, and partial destruction of the castle itself.In 1794, a terrible fire destroyed three-fourths of the structure, forcing Phillipe Vallant de Savoisy, son of Benigne Joseph, to have important demolition efforts in 1817. The latter recorded it in writing. Joseph Gustave LeBas du Plessis, by his marriage to the daughter of Philippe de Savoisy, became the new owner in 1862. After a reversal of fortune, their daughter Anne was forced to sell it in 1901, whereupon the archives were lost.
Proof of the presence of Germans in the chateau
Harry Truman, third man from the right
André Martin
In 1961, under minister Andre Malraux, the exteriors and park of the castle and surroundings were classified as an historical monument. Edmee Pierre Hermite had been the owner since 1956. At his death in 1982, M. Mirmand was the purchaser and in turn sold it to Marie-France Menage-Small, the present owner
Classified as an Historical Monument
In 1918, while he was a student at the artillery school at Montigny-sur-Aube, HarryTruman passed several months at the castle. The American officer became the 33rd President of the US in 1945.
The Germans occupied the property during the second World War, using it as a command post.
During the world wars
Château après les grands travaux d'André Martin
Andre Martin, important silk merchant from Lyon, and brother-in-law to Edouard Aynard, member of the Institute and owner of the nearby Abby of Fontenay, became the owner of the chateau. Starting in 1902, he undertook important restorative works under the combined expertise of Edouard Aynard and the Dijon architect Javelle. The image of the chateau was transformed, inside and out. These improvements exist to this day. While he chose to restore the north façade and its superimposed columns, Andre Martin also threw himself into a vast transformation of the south façade, facing the garden. Gone was the somber aspect, replaced by a neo-Renaissance style of great architectural quality.
Great works at the beginning of the 20th century
Joseph Gustave
Le Bas du Plessis (1808-1901), his son in law
Philippe Vaillant de Savoisy (1781-1860)
A raging fire at the end of the 18th century
René Nicolas de Maupeou, Lord of Montigny-sur-Aube. Photo D. R
Louis XIV
In 1625 Philiberte d’Amoncourt married Antoine de Barillon de Morangis, maître de requetes, named counselor of the State and director of finances in 1648. To thank him for his good and loyal services, Louis XIV elevated the estate of Montigny-sur-Aube to a marquisate in 1697.
In 1724 the Amoncourt family sold the chateau to Rene Nicolas de Maupeou, chancellor under Louis XV. In turn he left the property to his brother, lt. General of the Army of the king, who sold it in 1784 to Beninge Joseph Vaillant, count of Savoisy.
A marquisate under Louis XIV
During the 16th century, Jean V, influenced by his uncle’s trips to Italy, decided to bring the feudal castle up to date, with the help of his brother Rene, master of the waters and forests. The architect Jean Bullant, whose works included the chateaux of Petit-Chantilly, d’Ecouen, as well as a wing of the Louvre museum, was very popular. His influence is visible in the exceptional chapel as well as the north façade of the court of honor, consisting of 44 columns still prominent. One can imagine the chateau composed of a large interior courtyard with three building wings and a wall, forming a quadrangle, imitating the initial plan of a fortified castle. An 1858 engraving, following the demolition of a large portion of the castle, gives an idea of the links to the time of Jean V, during the Renaissance.
Print by Nesle, 1858. Photo D. R.
René d’Amoncourt, Corneille workshop of Lyon. Photo D. R.
After having grown up at the side of his uncle Claude de Longwy, Cardinal of Givry and French apprentice to the king, Jean V d’Amoncourt became archdeacon of Langres, then Bishop of Poitiers. His jurisdiction then extended to two-thirds of the Haute-Marne, half of Cote-d’Or, a good quarter of the Aube, a quarter of the Yonne, as well as a part of the Haute-Saone, totaling 850 parishes covering 15,000 square kilometers.
Jean V Amoncourt and the Renaissance
Let’s start by imagining a chateau fort of the 12th century… two hundred years later, the Amoncourt family, originally from the canton of Port-sur-Saone in Franche-Comte, emigrated to Champagne, in the diocese of Langres. It included three estates, including Montigny-sur-Aube. Now at the beginning of the 14th century,”nec mors, nec vita” is the motto attached to the coat of arms of the Amoncourt family, de gueules au sautoir d’or (red and beige color with the golden cross of St Andre). The motto, taken from the letter of the apostle St Paul to the Romans, could be translated as “neither death nor life (could separate us from the love of Christ).” And so, the Amoncourt family would offer as many laity lords as religious ones. The latter, according to tradition, were the brothers who entered into the orders at a young age.
The Amoncourt family and the Montigny estate
CHATEAU DE MONTIGNY-SUR-AUBE
+33 (0)3 80 93 55 23 / +33 (0)6 08 90 75 10
Château de Montigny 21520 Montigny-sur-Aube
2 rue de l’Eglise 21520 – Montigny-sur-Aube