The castle of Villers-Cotterêts, from François I to the International City of the French language

2023-08-02 16:39:19

Emmanuel Macron will inaugurate on October 19 the International City of the French language at the castle of Villers-Cotterêts (Aisne), indicated Tuesday August 2 the Elysée. An echo of history, since it is there that French became the official language of the Kingdom in 1539.

► In 1528, François I built the castle

After the defeat at Pavia in 1525, King Francis I was captured and detained in Madrid. On his return, he decided to build a royal residence in Villers-Cotterêts, on the edge of a forest where he liked to hunt – and which King Dagobert, in 632, was already frequenting. At the time, the king and his court still traveled a lot, especially for hunting. This building, inspired by Italian architecture, became the only royal Renaissance castle in Picardy.

► In 1539, the ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts

The ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts is signed by François I during a long stay at the castle. Composed of 192 articles, it establishes the primacy of French over Latin in law and administration. Contrary to popular belief, it does not exclude the use of other French languages. It even provides that the texts be translated into these other languages ​​in order to communicate more easily with the subjects of the Kingdom. The linguistic hegemony of French does not actually occur until after the revolution of 1789.

Indeed, the decree of 2 Thermidor, Year II (July 20, 1794) states that ” from the day of publication of this law, no public act may, in any part whatsoever of the territory of the Republic, be written except in the French language. “. Its purpose is to strengthen monarchical power. It also makes it compulsory for priests to keep registers of baptisms and burials. At present, this ordinance is the oldest legislative text still in force in France.

► The alliance between France, Scotland and Norway sealed at the castle

In 1558, Henri II, the son of François I, signed the treaty at the Château de Villers-Cotterêts which relaunched theAuld alliance. This unites France, Scotland and Norway against England. The origin of this coalition actually dates back to 1295. Henry II’s stays at the castle irrigated the entire economy of the region. During one of them, we order in particular « 291 chicken and pigons »10 pigs, as well as “twelve doves” and 94 capons.

► The end of the royal castle

After several centuries spent in the royal bosom, the castle became the property of the Dukes of Orléans, when Louis XIV offered it in 1661 to his brother, Philippe d’Orléans, also called “Monsieur”. The two brothers attended three years later, in 1664, a performance of the Tartuffe of Molière on the spot. In 1722, Louis XV, who was going to Reims to be crowned, slept at the château. On this occasion, a party is given in the castle, during which 1,000 guests gobble up 80,000 bottles of Burgundy wine.

With the Revolution, the high French aristocracy was driven out of the castle of Villers-Cotterêts, seized as national property in 1790. In 1808, it became a begging depot and accommodated a thousand beggars and delinquents.

At the end of the 19th century, it became an Ehpad before being briefly used as a military hospital during the First World War. It then returned to its role as a retirement home until 2014, when it was abandoned. It has been listed as a Historic Monument since 1997.

► In 2018, the Cité internationale de la langue française

In 2017, Emmanuel Macron, then candidate for the presidency of the Republic, visited the castle. Once in power, he announced in 2018 on the occasion of the International Day of La Francophonie the renovation of the castle with the aim of making it a center dedicated to French. Renovation work begins in 2020 with a budget of 185 million euros, under the leadership of the Center des Monuments Nationaux, which manages the building.

The Head of State will inaugurate the new institution in October 2023. The Cité will offer 1,600 m2 of permanent and temporary exhibitions as well as twelve residency workshops for artists and researchers. It will also host the Sommet de la Francophonie in the fall of 2024.