Château de Montigny-sur-Aube

Chapel and castle gate restored

Water buffet before

Water buffet as we admire it today

After

Hens, roosters, white peacocks, Lady Amherts pheasants and resplendent parakeets have adopted Montigny

The aviary installed in the old kennel

Chateau façade after the renovation

Orangery and hotroom before restorations

In the space of the orchards-gardens we find the hotroom and the orangery forming a unity worthy of the food gardens of the 19th Century. They were restored in 2010, offering since then a space for visitors in the high season.

The hotroom is formed by two walls 3.6 meters high, six meters apart, and it has become over two years a superb fig room while in the winter serving as a place for the seed tables whose plants include vegetables and flowers for the Farm Drive.

The orangery has served since 2010 for a multiple of uses.

The restoration of the orangery and its hotroom

Orchards as we admire them during the beautiful season

Planting of espalier trees and restoration of the gardeners' pond

Helped by a grand appeal for a 2008 project by the regional authorities, the owners of Chateau de Montigny sur Aube took it upon themselves to renovate the orchards and garden in the spirit of the 19th Century and thus to add to the architectural excellence that of horticulture from that Century.

The restoration of the gardensand orchard

Interior and exterior of the chapel after renovations

Chapel before the works started

Without a doubt, the chapel is the jewel of the property. A superb Renaissance edifice linked to the chapel of Jean V d’Amoncourt in the Langres cathedral. If effect this man, owner of the chateau, was an archdeacon serving his uncle, the Cardinal of Givry and relative of the King.

It’s on the façade of the chapel that one finds the coat of arms of the Amoncourt family, restored in 2009. Seven artisans dedicated a large part of their summer to the renewal of the splendor of the chapel, outlining the two Doric columns surmounted by two Ionic columns and crowned by a triangular fronton.

The interior was the scene of restorations of equal significance. The damages from the 2003 heatwave were able to be fixed and the 240 magnificent caissons of the ceiling cleaned with a goose feather!

Only the roof awaits the attention of better days.

The Renaissance of the chapel

Gutters and dormers under construction

The first storms revealed the need to replace the gutters and downspouts in the style of the 19th Century. A basic cleaning of the north façade was also done. The shutters from 1903 were restored. Numbering 59, they contained 5700 blades to be replaced or restored.

The southern façade was also restored along with the terrace.

The four dormer windows of the northern façade plus those of the southern façade were entirely restored.

At the same time, the interior work proceeded. The small music room and the grand salon whose woodwork of the 15th Century were stripped and repainted with the colors of the 18th Century.

As for the kitchens of the Chateau, those of the 19th Century were restored along with the cooking piano, to the great satisfaction of the chef.

The restoration of the chateau, inside and out

The restoration of the moat

In 2002, the moat offered an image of a space dry and covered with weeds. As often happens with such properties, the water elements were neglected.

The 2003 heat wave caused several degradations in the chapel, while in the castle the cracks in the grand staircase got the attention of all the principals of the project who understood the priority of restoring the waterworks, including the moat, which are fed by a stream coming from the hills. The stream has always been the property of the Chateau de Montigny sur Aube.

Not less than 18,000 cubic meters of earth were removed. More than 200 meters of 5 meter high wall were restored; the kingdom of weeds was removed to make way for one of swans and ducks. This work was crucial to support the integrity of the chateau and preservation of the park.

Very rapidly the water table naturally repositioned itself under the grip of the domain and in 5-10 years all the vegetation settled down.

The restoration of the moat

Some shots before the renovation

Born with a sudden heartfelt crush in 2002, the renovation of the chateau consisted of five major projects: the moat, the chateau, the chapel, the gardens, and the annex building. The choice of the owners was simple: either a leisurely restoration over 20 years, or realize the goal in a series of great steps with sponsors and institutions sharing the same enthusiastic spirit.

A challenge was offered by Marie-France Manage-Small and joined in by private sponsors with a shared passion for regional heritage , all enabled by the category “sponsorship” in the rules of the Demeure Historique organization.

Within several months, three public institutions and six private enterprises volunteered to help. The latter signed up for five years.

This audacious campaign was crowned with Americans recognizing the activity from afar.

Ten years of projects for a rebirth