Donjon de Jouy

The origins of the Donjon de Jouy date back to Roman times, when a camp of Caesar's likely existed here, evidenced by traces of a Roman road. In the 6th century, monks led by the Irish Saint Columbanus founded a monastery. However, it was destroyed between the 8th and 9th centuries by Hungarian invasions. In 1191, Pierre II de Courtenay, a grandson of Louis VI and later Latin Emperor of Constantinople, had the complex converted into a keep. During the Hundred Years' War, particularly around 1361, the region was a scene of battles, and English troops may have been stationed in the castle. In 1373, the English were expelled from Berry. The castle changed hands several times, including the de Giac and d'Amboise families. In 1591, League troops captured the castle, which was in Protestant hands, and likely destroyed it. By 1626 at the latest, it was dismantled by order of Richelieu. In the 18th century, the complex passed to Jules Hardouin-Mansart and later to the d'Arpajon family. After the French Revolution, the castle was sold as national property and used as a quarry, so today only the skeleton of the keep remains.