![]() ![]() Frescoes have been torn from the walls by pillagers and the charred remains of squatters’ make-shift campfires have been left on the marble floors. Almost every window is open, their glass panes shattered across the floors. Small trees now sprout from the tower and rainfall has ravaged the interiors, damaging the beams holding up the walls. It was at this point however, that the company went into liquidation, leaving the chateau covered by a flimsy plastic replacement roof that was never meant to be a longterm solution, and was no match for the elements. As of this moment, Monuments Historiques has done nothing to intervene or to prevent the rapid decline of the chateau lying at the heart of a medieval town just 27 miles from Paris.īefore the current owner went bankrupt, the developers began work to renovate the roof, removing its tiles and placing a temporary plastic sheeting in their place. If that fails, the Monuments Historiques also has the power to kick the owner out and take charge of the property’s protection. The property “developers” and current owners who bought the property ten years ago with the intention of converting it into apartments, are now bankrupt, their company in liquidation.īy law, an owner of a French historic monument must maintain the building in good condition and if they fail to do so, the state-backed national heritage association ( Monuments Historiques) has the power to order restoration works at the expense of the owner. The Facebook group as of this moment has just over 900 members. Sadly, their call has thus far gone unanswered.Ĭlassed as a historic monument since 1963, Fontenay’s château was sold in relatively good condition in 2007, but has since fallen into ruin and is today at serious risk. So I started this Facebook group to find people who would care.” ![]() ![]() No one else really seemed to be doing anything about it or care much about its preservation. “Me? I was just born in this town and my father and I couldn’t bear to see our chateau like this. “So how did you come to be the guardian angel of this castle?” I asked him. “It was still in decent condition back then,” said the shy but determined young man as he stared through the iron bars at the ruins of the 17th century castle peeking through the overgrowth. Grenier” turned out to be a 17 year-old local kid, who became devoted to the Château du Duc d’Epernon ever since his father had taken him there as a child for picnics in the gardens. I had a response from Antonin Grenier by breakfast the next day, who agreed to meet us in front of the gates at noon. God I love the internet at times like these, I thought to myself. I found a Facebook page and wasted no time in sending a message to the administrator. Resolving to return at first light in the morning, I immediately began searching for the preservationists who had hung the banner outside of the Château. ![]()
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