Château de Montaigne: Inside the Tower Where the Essays Were Written

The Château de Montaigne in the Dordogne is the estate where Michel de Montaigne was born, retreated to his tower library and wrote the Essays. I walked through it with Pauline Gonzalez, a guide at the château, and the courtyard, the chapel and the library still carry the habits of the man who worked there.

Here I describe the estate, the rooms of the tower, and the habit of questioning your own opinions that the library still teaches.

What Is the Château de Montaigne?

The Château de Montaigne stands in the Dordogne, east of Bordeaux, on the estate where Michel de Montaigne was born in 1533. A fire destroyed the main house in January 1885 and the château you see today is the 19th century rebuild, but Montaigne’s Tower of the Library survived, and it is where this episode takes place. According to Pauline, the English built the first fortified house here during the Hundred Years’ War, and the Montaigne family bought the estate at the end of the 15th century.

The family earned its living by selling dried fish and pastel, a plant dye, along with the wine from the vineyard. Montaigne’s father, Pierre Eyquem, added the outbuildings and the tower, which closed the estate in on itself.

Montaigne studied law and served as a magistrate in Bordeaux, where he met Étienne de La Boétie. The two formed a friendship that Montaigne never found again, and La Boétie died of the plague in 1563 at the age of 32. Many readers see that loss as the seed of the Essays. After his father died, Montaigne left the Parliament of Bordeaux and settled on the estate at the age of 38.

Why Did Montaigne Retreat to the Tower?

The tower began as a defensive building, but Montaigne used it every day. Pauline explained that the complex has three towers. One holds the stairs, one holds the library, the bedroom and the chapel, and a square tower holds a dressing room and a small cabinet. The chapel at the foot of the tower still shows the family coat of arms, with a lion for courage.

For Montaigne, the tower was the place where he could read, meditate and write without the demands of public life. A Latin inscription in the library says he had grown tired of court and public duties and meant to spend the rest of his days in freedom, tranquility and leisure. Life called him back anyway, and Bordeaux elected him mayor twice, yet the library gave him the space to write the Essays.

Retreating in this way is a habit worth studying. You can read more about the man behind the tower in our profile of Michel de Montaigne.

What Is Inside Montaigne’s Library?

The library ceiling carries 57 sentences in Greek and Latin, painted on the beams. Montaigne did not write the Essays with his own hand. He walked around the room and dictated his thoughts to a scribe who sat on a chair, and when he ran out of words he looked up and read a sentence from the beams.

Pauline described how each sentence worked as a prompt for his own thinking.

One of the sentences comes from Epictetus and says that opinions about things disturb us, and not the things themselves. Our article on the Epictetus quote on the ceiling of Montaigne’s library follows that sentence in more detail.

Montaigne also closed the library chimney for fear of fire, which meant the room stayed cold in winter. When the weather turned, he moved to the cabinet in the square tower, where a chimney still stood, and he kept dictating there. The cabinet kept painted scenes from mythology for much of its history. A legend says Montaigne had to change them after some people objected to their erotic episodes, though Pauline pointed out that nobody holds proof of it.

Why Did Montaigne Write the Essays in French?

Montaigne’s own education was unusual for the Renaissance. His father hired a German tutor who spoke only Latin to the young Michel, so Latin became his first language. Pauline told me the household had to ask the tutor for Latin translations to speak to the boy.

Yet Montaigne wrote the Essays in French, and Pauline offered a reason. He wanted women to be able to read them, because he saw the Essays as an intimate book. That choice fits the whole project. Montaigne called his writing essays, which means attempts, because he never claimed to hold the answers, only to be trying.

He distrusted systems and looked closely at how people think, feel and behave, starting with himself. He read Seneca more than any other author, yet he found the Stoic sage too remote. He wanted a philosophy for ordinary people who forget, contradict themselves and sometimes feel afraid.

A Habit From the Tower: Question Your Own Opinions

A tower, a pen and a few sentences on the beams reminded Montaigne that his own opinions could be wrong. That habit of pausing and questioning is one the Stoics would recognize, and it is open to anyone, with or without a tower. Our article on the Stoic habit of pausing shows how Epictetus trains the same skill.

Begin by choosing one opinion you hold strongly about a person or a situation today.

Next, write it down in a single sentence, the way Montaigne painted a sentence on a beam.

Ask what evidence supports it, and where you may have filled in the gaps yourself.

Read the sentence again as if a stranger had written it, and note what your first reaction was.

Finally, keep the sentence somewhere you will see it, so it can prompt a second look.

How to Visit the Château de Montaigne

Pauline said the estate opens every day from 10:00 to 17:30, including Sundays and Mondays, with a guided tour of the tower and the castle each day. Please check the official Château de Montaigne website for current opening hours and booking details. The estate is also a working vineyard, and visitors can taste wine there, from dry white and sweet wines to red, rosé and sparkling wines.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Château de Montaigne

What is the Château de Montaigne?

The Château de Montaigne is the estate in the Dordogne near Bordeaux where Michel de Montaigne was born in 1533 and later wrote the Essays in his tower library.

Is the castle the same one Montaigne lived in?

No. The castle you see today is a 19th century rebuild after a fire in 1885. The tower where Montaigne worked belongs to his own time.

What is inside Montaigne’s tower library?

The ceiling beams carry 57 sentences in Greek and Latin, some painted upside down so that Montaigne could always read one as he walked.

Why did Montaigne write in French and not in Latin?

Latin was his first language, but he chose French so that women could read the Essays, which he saw as an intimate book.

Can you visit the Château de Montaigne?

Yes. According to the guide, the estate opens daily with guided tours of the tower and the castle, and visitors can also taste wine from the vineyard. Check the official website for current hours.

A Question to Take With You

Standing in a library where the walls remind you that your opinions could be wrong, you might ask yourself which of your own opinions has gone unchallenged the longest. The answer may be sitting closer than you expect.

Watch the full episode on YouTube.

Want to Learn More?

If this resonated, a conversation with Benny as your Stoic coach can be a good place to begin. You can also sign up for the newsletter, The Pause, or follow the Via Stoica Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.

About the Author

Benny Voncken is the founder of Via Stoica and host of the Via Stoica Podcast. He has practiced Stoicism for over six years, spoken at Stoicon, and led Stoic walks across Europe. Through Stoic coaching, he helps people develop their own philosophy of life. It gives them the tools to face obstacles, navigate change, and find balance. He writes, teaches, and walks wherever the philosophy takes him.