Catherine wanted to cover the alley in the garden where Henry played pall-mall, an early form of croquet.

For this commission, Philibert de l'Orme built her a grotto set on a base made to look like natural rock, from which guests could watch the games while taking refreshments.

The most famous incident connected with the château is the "Surprise of Meaux" (1567) in which Huguenot troops planned to kidnap the queen and her son, King Charles IX, but she learned of the plot and hurried back to the Paris, surrounded by regiments of Swiss Guards.

[4] After Henry II's death, Catherine frequently ran short of money due to her other projects and the Wars of Religion, and little further work appears to have been done at Montceaux.

[5] The château ceased to be used as a royal residence after 1640, and had fallen into ruin by the time it was demolished by revolutionary decree in 1798.