Château de Villers-Cotterêts

Château de Villers-Cotterêts
Château de Villers-Cotterêts
General information
Type	Château
Architectural style	French Renaissance
Town or city	Villers-Cotterêts
Country	France
Construction started	1530
Completed	1556
Owner	Government of France
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Jacques Lebreton, Guillaume Lebreton, Philibert de l'Orme

The Château de Villers-Cotterêts (pronounced [ʃɑto d(ə) vilɛʁ kɔt(ə)ʁɛ]) is a historic French château located in the town of Villers-Cotterêts in the Aisne department, Hauts-de-France, about 80 kilometres (50 miles) north-east of Paris.

It is a state property and a historic monument since 1997.

History

The castle was built for Francis I of France on the edge of the Forest of Retz.

In 1539, Francis I of France signed the Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts which made the use of the French language mandatory in the acts of administration and justice.

In 1661, Louis XIV granted the castle to his brother Philippe I, Duke of Orléans.^[1] It remained with the House of Orléans until the Revolution.

In 1787 Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans was exiled to the château over opposition to the May Edicts in 1787.

In 1790, the castle was seized as national property.

Napoleon turned it into a beggar's home, a prison and a hospice in 1808. It then became a retirement home in 1889 until the end of 2014.^[2]

In 2023, following a colossal restoration campaign, president Emmanuel Macron turned the castle into the Cité Internationale de la Langue Française, dedicated to the French language.^[3]