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French language: Villers-Cotterêts, a castle witness to history
French language: Villers-Cotterêts, a castle witness to history – (franceinfo)
After several postponements, Emmanuel Macron inaugurates, this Monday, October 30, the International City of the French Language in the castle of Villers-Cotterêts (Aisne). Update on the restoration project of this cultural place.
It is a centerpiece of French history. For the first time since 1539, this document returns to where it was created and signed by King Francis I. A 192-page text, of which article 111 stipulates that the legal aspects of the administration and justice of the kingdom will be written in the French language, in other words in French. Work continued until the last moment in this restored Renaissance castle. Every corner, every detail, nothing is left to chance.
Common thread
On site, a bookstore, exhibition spaces, artist and researcher residencies and a tour with an interactive screen. “To tell the story, we needed to find it again, and then it is the common thread for all of us, whether we live here or come from the other side of the world”, declares Paul Rondin, director of the Cité internationale de la langue française. The text will be exhibited four months before returning to the national archives. In total, more than 210 million euros were invested in this project.