Royal Castle of Montargis, Montargis

The Royal Castle of Montargis sits on a promontory above the Loing river, once ranked among the three principal residences of the Kings of France. Built from the 12th century onward, the fortress was expanded by Philippe Auguste in the 1180s and later transformed into a Renaissance estate by Renée de France, who brought Italian gardeners from the Este court in Ferrara. The castle was systematically demolished between 1810 and 1837 when it was sold as a stone quarry, leaving partial ramparts, a postern gate tower, 13th-century vaulted cellars, and a 12th-century underground chapel of Sainte-Marie.