My father's castle

On the heights of the town, in the shadow of the collegiate church of Notre-Dame, built at the same time, stands the Château de Montataire, which has survived many centuries and had many owners. For 12 years, the infectious passion of a father and daughter have transformed this old, uninhabited building into a veritable fairytale castle.

François-Xavier and Marie-Astridfather and daughter and owners of Château de Montataire, opened their doors to us...

A castle with a rich past

Before becoming a "châtelain" (a term he finds hardly appropriate in this day and age), François-Xavier Bernet was a property manager. At the time, he simply wanted to acquire a building with character so that he could organise seminars there, if possible in the Oise region, so that he could visit his eldest daughter, a teacher in Chantilly, more often. A simple advert from a local estate agency led him to the Château de Montataire, but it was his daughter Marie-Astrid, a history buff, who encouraged him to buy it.

Because the Château de Montataire boasts a rich history. It was built in 12^e century by Count Hugues de Clermont after a donation from the king, and originally consisted, in the most pure medieval styleIt comprises a right-angled main building flanked by four semi-circular towers of different diameters. 

The building underwent several transformations up until the 19th century.^e century. It was extended in the 15th^e century by the Madaillan de Lesparre family, adopting a Renaissance style of architecture more square and rectilinear, with French windows and an Italian-style balustrade on the façade. The château was then restored and completed in 19^e century after 20 years of work by Baron de Condéwho was also mayor of the town of Montataire. The interior was then converted into small flats to house the various members of the family.

The Château was subsequently bought by Usinor in the 1960s.a major French steel group that owned a plant with 4,000 employees in Montataire, but was mainly looking to build Californian-style pavilions in the park to house its executives. The company only used the ground floor of the building, to organise seminars and cater for employeeswho had their own chef. The upper floors were quickly walled off, condemned and abandoned.

Renovating the Château as a family

On 5 April 2012, François-Xavier Bernet and his daughter Marie-Astrid got down to work. Everything has to be redone before it can be renovated: electricity, plumbing, roofing, framework, etc. Between the work, the furnishings and decoration, there's no shortage of work to be done to breathe new life into such a vast 40-room space covering an area of around 1000 square metres! A veritable armada of painters, carpenters, roofers, floorers and even stonemasons are working incessantly on the shell, insulation and interior fittings.

Little by little, each piece takes shape as the the castle comes back to life. The halls and bedrooms are adorned with furniture, candelabras, small everyday objects, paintings and engravings. found on the Internet, in second-hand shops or at auctions. There are also many superb clocks at the castle, although none of them work because " here time stands still "as François-Xavier Bernet mischievously puts it.

Detective work

She's like a real detective, arming herself with courage and patience to unravel the mysteries of the past, Marie-Astrid has carried out extensive historical research in the national and departmental archives of the Oise region. A precious clue may be hidden in a painting, an engraving or a sketch, making it possible to reconstruct the décor piece by piece. It is not always possible to authenticate the provenance of a work with certainty, such as the superb pink earthenware in the garden level bathroom, probably made by the Creil faience factory established in 1797.

Excavation of the cellars and attics also unearthed some precious remains - bits of marble, floorboards, scraps of tapestry... - and sometimes even curious objects. François-Xavier found the remains of a doorbell panel system from the 19th century.^e In the 19th century, a bell was used to summon servants by means of wires strung throughout the house. Each bell probably tinkled differently, so that the servants could identify the corresponding room: the Henri IV room, the Clermont room, the chambre à Glaces or the chambre Bleue, who's calling?

A great crowd

The centrepiece of the château is undoubtedly Henri IV's bedroom.located on the first floor. The King of France came several times to visit his friend Jean de Madaillan, Lord of Montataire. You can still see painted the King's 'H' on the ceilingwith its crown and fleur-de-lys. A superb Renaissance ceiling with polychrome joists adds even more cachet to this room, which looks as if it has been frozen in time. The famous letter writer Madame de Sévigné also visited the Château de Montataire on several occasions. to 17^e century, and theVoltaire is also said to have passed through here.

True lovers of their castle for its history and atmosphere, the owners are quick to transform themselves into guide-lecturers and admire the spectacular metamorphosis of an 18th-century staircase.^e The Château de Montataire is not open to the public, but you can enjoy the beauty of a herringbone parquet floor or the delicate softness of period earthenware. Château de Montataire is not open to the public. guided tours are organised on a regular basisand days at the Château for groupsThe Château also welcomes companies to organise business events and private receptions. The Château also caters for corporate events and private receptions.

Spend the night at the Château

Two small flats have even been renovatedThese apartments are available for short-stay rentals, each comprising a fully-equipped living room with kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. They have all the modern comforts (sofa, TV, wifi and, above all, good bedding), but they are also very comfortable. their case retains all the prestige of the old. One of the bedrooms is located in a tower with a ribbed vault bearing the coats of arms of the families who have lived in the château. The ideal opportunity to travel back in time as a couple or a familyIt's a place that's steeped in history and yet so much alive.

" Our château is more than a family project, it's a life project, concludes Marie-Astrid. We live in the castle 24 hours a day, we think about the castle all the time but it's a real pleasure, and even an honour, to be able to bring the past back to life. I even say hello to Henri IV when I pass his large portrait, and tell him all about my day. Maybe one day he'll reply, who knows? ".

Emmanuel Latouche – The Editor

Video of Château de Montataire