Montbrison

Montbrison lies at the foot of the Forez mountains, a centre of the county of Forez. The heraldic hall known as the Diana preserves a rich painted ceiling, a sign of the standing of its noble patrons. In 1527 Francis I confiscated the lands of Charles III, Duke of Bourbon, including Forez. The king was received in the hall in 1536 as the new Count of Forez, bringing royal authority into a setting shaped by the county's older rulers.