Madame de Mercœur
Another widow, the Duchess of Mercœur found some difficulty in acquiring the château in the early 1600s, resulting in a loss of all the interior furnishings. But upon moving in, she, too, poured her spirit into caring for this place. With her own funds, she upgraded the bridge between the Marques’ Tower and the Fontaine du Rocher, transforming it from a wooden structure to a beautiful twin-arched stone crossing. Out of piety, she also made room in the château for a small community of Capuchin nuns, who remained there until 1634, when they finally received permission to settle in Tours as she had envisioned.
