Château d'Anjony
Encyclopedia
The Château d'Anjony is a castle
in Tournemire
in the Cantal
département of France.
, has been described as "one of the most remarkable castles in Upper Auvergne". It is located in a strategic position on the Tournemire promontory and dominates the rich landscape of the Doire valley with its four tall towers (40 m - 130 ft).
and Joan of Arc
, near to the towers of Tournemire which had been held by his family and the Tournemires in joint fief since 1351. This dual ownership was the cause of three centuries of bloody rivalry between the two families, one of old feudal stock, the other having prospered through commerce and service to royalty. Around 1650, the Tournemires left the area.
The castle and its estate have been classified as a monument historique
by the French Ministry of Culture. The castle (excluding the 18th century attached building) was classified in 1942.
with four corner towers. There is only one room on each floor. During the 18th century, the owners added a small wing in the then fashionable style. The low vaulted cellar in the basement was turned into a vast entrance hall. The main hall on the first floor has a coffer
ed ceiling with three tiers of beams. Throughout the castle are fine furnishings and fittings, including tapestries
from Aubusson
and Flanders
, a tester bed and a reclining seat. The kitchen boasts a massive fireplace. The chapel, located in the southwest tower, has fresco
es illustrating the life of Christ. In an alcove is a statue of Our Lady of Anjony, a black virgin and child of painted and gilded wood. The Knights' Hall, on the second floor, has frescoes of Michel of Anjony and his wife, Germaine of Foix
, in late 16th century dress. Other frescoes illustrate the legend of the Nine Valiant Knights from a medieval poem. Notable objects in this room include a Florentine table inlaid with ivory
, a Mudéjar
-style secretaire, engraved silver dishes and various Renaissance
objets d'art
. The audience chamber on the third floor has diagonal faulting and walls hung with two large tapestries, one a Flemish verdure (hunting scene). The loopholes along the watchpath overlook the Doire valley.
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
in Tournemire
Tournemire, Cantal
Tournemire is a commune in the Cantal department in south-central France.-Population:-References:*...
in the Cantal
Cantal
Cantal is a department in south-central France. It is named after the Cantal mountain range, a group of extinct, eroded volcanic peaks, which covers much of the department. Residents are known as Cantaliens or Cantalous....
département of France.
Description
The castle, built of reddish basaltBasalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
, has been described as "one of the most remarkable castles in Upper Auvergne". It is located in a strategic position on the Tournemire promontory and dominates the rich landscape of the Doire valley with its four tall towers (40 m - 130 ft).
History
The castle was built in the 15th century by Louis II d'Anjony, companion of Jean de DunoisJean de Dunois
John of Orléans, Count of Dunois was the illegitimate son of Louis d'Orléans by Mariette d'Enghien.The term "Bastard of Orléans" John of Orléans, Count of Dunois (French born "Jean Levieux Valois des Orléans" better known as Jean d'Orléans, comte de Dunois, also known as John of Orléans and...
and Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc
Saint Joan of Arc, nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans" , is a national heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France who claimed divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, which paved the way for the...
, near to the towers of Tournemire which had been held by his family and the Tournemires in joint fief since 1351. This dual ownership was the cause of three centuries of bloody rivalry between the two families, one of old feudal stock, the other having prospered through commerce and service to royalty. Around 1650, the Tournemires left the area.
The castle and its estate have been classified as a monument historique
Monument historique
A monument historique is a National Heritage Site of France. It also refers to a state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building or a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, or gardens, bridges, and other structures, because of their...
by the French Ministry of Culture. The castle (excluding the 18th century attached building) was classified in 1942.
Description
The castle consists of a keepKeep
A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word keep, but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residences, used as a refuge of last resort should the rest of the...
with four corner towers. There is only one room on each floor. During the 18th century, the owners added a small wing in the then fashionable style. The low vaulted cellar in the basement was turned into a vast entrance hall. The main hall on the first floor has a coffer
Coffer
A coffer in architecture, is a sunken panel in the shape of a square, rectangle, or octagon in a ceiling, soffit or vault...
ed ceiling with three tiers of beams. Throughout the castle are fine furnishings and fittings, including tapestries
Tapestry
Tapestry is a form of textile art, traditionally woven on a vertical loom, however it can also be woven on a floor loom as well. It is composed of two sets of interlaced threads, those running parallel to the length and those parallel to the width ; the warp threads are set up under tension on a...
from Aubusson
Aubusson, Creuse
Aubusson is a commune in the Creuse department in the Limousin region in central France.-Geography:...
and Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
, a tester bed and a reclining seat. The kitchen boasts a massive fireplace. The chapel, located in the southwest tower, has fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
es illustrating the life of Christ. In an alcove is a statue of Our Lady of Anjony, a black virgin and child of painted and gilded wood. The Knights' Hall, on the second floor, has frescoes of Michel of Anjony and his wife, Germaine of Foix
Foix
Foix is a commune, the capital of the Ariège department in southwestern France. It is the least populous administrative centre of a department in all of France, although it is only very slightly smaller than Privas...
, in late 16th century dress. Other frescoes illustrate the legend of the Nine Valiant Knights from a medieval poem. Notable objects in this room include a Florentine table inlaid with ivory
Ivory
Ivory is a term for dentine, which constitutes the bulk of the teeth and tusks of animals, when used as a material for art or manufacturing. Ivory has been important since ancient times for making a range of items, from ivory carvings to false teeth, fans, dominoes, joint tubes, piano keys and...
, a Mudéjar
Mudéjar
Mudéjar is the name given to individual Moors or Muslims of Al-Andalus who remained in Iberia after the Christian Reconquista but were not converted to Christianity...
-style secretaire, engraved silver dishes and various Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
objets d'art
Work of art
A work of art, artwork, art piece, or art object is an aesthetic item or artistic creation.The term "a work of art" can apply to:*an example of fine art, such as a painting or sculpture*a fine work of architecture or landscape design...
. The audience chamber on the third floor has diagonal faulting and walls hung with two large tapestries, one a Flemish verdure (hunting scene). The loopholes along the watchpath overlook the Doire valley.