[4] Mons or Monte (mount) refers to the rocky promontory, located in the river bed of the Loire, and on which was built the fortress of Montsoreau.

[6][7] In La Dame de Monsoreau,[8] Alexandre Dumas suggests another origin to the name of the Mont Soreau: - Ah, faith, I 'll let monseigneur le Duc d' Anjou wait.

The main witness of this occupation is the dolmen of the Pierrelée [fr], which probably dates from the 3rd millennium BC and is made up of six imposing slabs of hard sandstone coming from deposits in the neighborhood.

The shaft of a fluted column, discovered during excavations of the castle built by Fulk Nerra, could attest to the presence of a notable public building on the top of the rock of Montsoreau.

In the middle of the tenth century, according to the hagiographic narratives, mention is made of caves in which the monk Absalon, coming from Tournus, was first considering to shelter the relics of Saint-Florent before bringing them further downstream the Loire and settle in Saumur.

[18] In 1450, Jean II de Chambes, First counselor of Charles VII and ambassador in Venice, bought the fortress of Fulk III to his brother-in-law and destroyed it in order to build a residential palace on the top of the rock of Montsoreau (the Mount Soreau).

[19][20] In an unprecedented move, he built the Château de Montsoreau in a residential-style following Italian architecture of the time making it the first Renaissance building in France.

The tuffeau stone was exported regionally, to cities all along the banks of rivers, Angers, Rennes, Nantes and Le Mans, but also surprisingly as far as the Caribbean.

[33] The battle of Saumur, is considered as the first act of resistance of World War II in France, the next days following the order of Maréchal Petain to ceasefire on 17 June 1940.

[34][35] Following the German offensive of May 1940, the enemy progressing towards the Seine, the General Weygand, ordered to defend all the rivers likely to block the invasion route to the south.

The National School of Cavalry, commanded by Colonel Michon, was given the area from the confluence of the rivers Vienne and Loire at Montsoreau, to Gennes, a front of 40 kilometers.

Colonel Michon [fr] considered that the prestige and the honor of the National School of Cavalry obliged him, despite this order, to fight in Saumur and keep the Germans from crossing the Loire (even with extremely limited means).

[37][38] To these inexperienced young fighters whom they themselves called Kadetten (the Cadets), the German horsemen, soldiers of tradition, did not take them prisoner and released them paying tribute to their courage.

Montsoreau is part of the Metropolitan Area of Saumur Val de Loire and share borders with municipalities both in the Maine-et-Loire and Indre-et-Loire departments.

Important oceanic influences as well as the immediate proximity of the Loire river make Montsoreau benefit from a climate called douceur angevine (sweetness of Anjou).

From underground living to the château de Montsoreau one of the most famous châteaux of the Loire Valley and the only one entirely dedicated to international contemporary art.

[67][68][69] It has been listed under three criteria: Criterion (i): The Loire Valley is noteworthy for the quality of its architectural heritage, in its historic towns such as Blois, Chinon, Orléans, Saumur, and Tours, but in particular in its world-famous castles, such as the Château de Chambord.

Criterion (iv): The landscape of the Loire Valley, and more particularly its many cultural monuments, illustrate to an exceptional degree the ideals of the Renaissance and the Age of the Enlightenment on western European thought and design.

[72][73] The seven listed buildings are: Montsoreau is listed on the Petites Cités de Caractère, a distinction given to villages or towns of less than 6,000 inhabitants, whose agglomeration must be protected by Bâtiments de France and have a structure dense enough to give it the appearance of a city, hold an architectural heritage of quality and homogeneity, and exercise or have exercised urban functions of centrality or have a concentration of buildings resulting from a present or past activity with a strong identity.

In 2019, with a museum of contemporary art, 17 restaurants, a campsite and two hotels, tourism is the largest employer of the municipality and helps the development of commercial jobs.

Alexandre Dumas' Dame de Monsoreau, part of a trilogy, is one of his most famous novel, published in 1846 (serialized), translated in more than six languages and distributed worldwide.

[111][112][113][114] More recently, a news item in July 1966, an observation of a UFO in Montsoreau, in a field for long minutes, and the discovery five days later of traces of the device in question, attracted attention and journalists from all over France.

[130] Frédéric Béatse, former mayor of Angers, and socialist political leader, protests against what he calls « a sale of a jewel of the department to a private foreign player ».

Christian Gillet for his part, by putting the project in its international ambition and potential development for the territory: « The idea of Philippe Méaille, connoisseur and lover of the site, is to install a center of contemporary art featuring his collection, already world famous and renowned, we have considered an interesting challenge », and Méaille to clarify his intentions: « This public-private partnership appeared to us as an innovative solution that will be integrated into the Saumur territory in its entirety: Saumur and its agglomeration but also the nearby Fontevraud Abbey ».

[150][151][152][153] Two days after the declaration of independence by Carles Puigdemont, Méaille released a statement from the château de Montsoreau-Museum of contemporary art not to renew his loan to the Catalan institution.

[162][163] August 15 is the day of the traditional Picnic Castle Montsoreau-Museum of Contemporary Art for which all residents are invited, it is followed by a concert and a public release of sky lanterns at night that brings together more than 2000 participants.

[172] But according to Pierre Beaudry, to be Rabelaisian means also:[172] to be totally outrageous, raunchy, crude in every way, absolutely stubborn in matters of truth, relentless against hypocrisy, and against all forms of popular opinion; but, also, in a more profound way, it means AXIOM BUSTING.Montsoreau is located on the south bank of the Loire river, and is surrounded to the south, east and west by the vineyards of Saumur, Bourgueil and Chinon.

[174] Montsoreau is a city whose composition has evolved, and the opening to tourism in the late nineteenth century, first created blends with national culinary traditions.

[176][177] 15 restaurants and a truck-food are located in the town of Montsoreau, around the château and on the banks of the Loire river, their influencies are from Brittany, India, Italy, United States, France or Anjou.

[189][190] Saumur Val de Loire administers urban planning, transport, public areas, waste disposal, energy, water, housing, higher education, economic development, employment and European topics,[191][192] and Montsoreau city council administers security, primary and secondary education, early childhood, social aid, culture, sport and health.