Château de Fontenoy-le-Château
Encyclopedia
The Château de Fontenoy-le-Château is located in the commune
of Fontenoy-le-Château
in the Vosges
département of north-eastern France.
It held a defensive role from the beginning of the 11th century until its partial destruction in 1635, during the Thirty Years' War
.
In the 11th century, the Bishops of Toul
, who owned this allodial title
, built a large square tower to protect their territory and to close the Valley of Côney
River. It was one of the first fortresses in the south of the Vosges, along with Épinal
and Remiremont
.
Located on a sandstone rocky outcrop, at the confluence of the Côney River and the Châtelain stream, the castle was protected by the natural steepness on the majority of its sides. A system of dams, now disappeared, allowed the stream valley to be flooded in the event of danger.
The principal entry was defended by a dry ditch, the trace of which is still visible, a huge area of thorn bush also complicating the approach.
The lower terraces, not vulnerable, sheltered the dependences, storerooms and barns.
The water supply was ensured by the collection from the numerous sources on the site, hence the place name: Fonteniacum Castellum.
In 1360, the powerful Neufchatel family arrived at Fontenoy after the marriage of Thibaut VI to Marguerite de Châlons, Dame of Fontenoy. The site was enlarged to strengthen its defences towards the neighbouring duchy of Lorraine
.
In the second half of the 15th century, the higher curtains were adapted to artillery.
It was in 1596 (the date attested to by a foundation stone still in place in the high enclosure of the castle) that Diane de Dompmartin and her husband Charles Philippe de Croÿ consolidated the defences, and made Fontenoy a safe place, to become the necessary relay in the North-South trade.
The castle was dismantled in the 17th century.
The house was sporadically inhabited until the French Revolution
. But from 1750, due to the intensive construction of the village of Fontenoy, the ramparts were dismantlled and their stones used to build houses.
In 1784, Marc Antoine de Voyer described the castle thus::
The keep was sold as biens nationaux (national property), «for its materials». The stone facing has almost completely disappeared; the destabilized sections of wall were ruined, the terraces sold, levelled, and transformed into vegetable gardens.
During the 19th century the dismantling of the walls was complete; the stones were used to build the town hall. Finally, to prevent the hazards of collapse, some walls were even blown up with explosives.
During the 1930s, Mr Louis Olivier complained at the inescapable disappearance of the keep and of the ruins that «nobody came even to maintain».
Nearly thousand years after its foundation, only the keep remains as a ruin, still imposing, but threatened with a fast disappearance, so much degraded is its state.
A local association which works for the safeguard of the local inheritance, Les Amis du Vieux Fontenoy (the Friends of Old Fontenoy, or A.V.F), founded in 1978, launched an operation named S.O.S. Donjon. The goal of this project is to restore a facing on the Square Tower to halt its deterioration and to give back "legibility" to the site. The first stone of the new facing will be posed on July 5, 2008 during the medieval, festivals.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
of Fontenoy-le-Château
Fontenoy-le-Château
Fontenoy-le-Château is a commune in the Vosges department in Lorraine in northeastern France.-Personalities:The poet Nicolas Joseph Laurent Gilbert was born on December 15, 1750 in Fontenoy-le-Chateau.-Geography:...
in the Vosges
Vosges
Vosges is a French department, named after the local mountain range. It contains the hometown of Joan of Arc, Domrémy.-History:The Vosges department is one of the original 83 departments of France, created on February 9, 1790 during the French Revolution. It was made of territories that had been...
département of north-eastern France.
It held a defensive role from the beginning of the 11th century until its partial destruction in 1635, during the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
.
Creation
Toul
Toul is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.It is a sub-prefecture of the department.-Geography:Toul is located between Commercy and Nancy, and situated between the Moselle River and the Canal de la Marne au Rhin....
, who owned this allodial title
Allodial title
Allodial title constitutes ownership of real property that is independent of any superior landlord, but it should not be confused with anarchy as the owner of allodial land is not independent of his sovereign...
, built a large square tower to protect their territory and to close the Valley of Côney
Côney
The Côney is a long river in the Vosges and Haute-Saône départements, northeastern France. Its source is near Lion Faing, a lieu-dit in Dounoux. It flows generally southwest...
River. It was one of the first fortresses in the south of the Vosges, along with Épinal
Épinal
Épinal is a commune in northeastern France and the capital of the Vosges department. Inhabitants are known as Spinaliens.-Geography:The commune has a land area of 59.24 km²...
and Remiremont
Remiremont
Remiremont is a commune in the Vosges department in Lorraine in northeastern France.Inhabitants are called Romarimontains.-Geography:Remiremont is located on the Moselle, close to its confluence with the Moselotte, southeast of Épinal...
.
Located on a sandstone rocky outcrop, at the confluence of the Côney River and the Châtelain stream, the castle was protected by the natural steepness on the majority of its sides. A system of dams, now disappeared, allowed the stream valley to be flooded in the event of danger.
The principal entry was defended by a dry ditch, the trace of which is still visible, a huge area of thorn bush also complicating the approach.
The lower terraces, not vulnerable, sheltered the dependences, storerooms and barns.
The water supply was ensured by the collection from the numerous sources on the site, hence the place name: Fonteniacum Castellum.
Reinforcement
The castle saw two important reinforcement phases.In 1360, the powerful Neufchatel family arrived at Fontenoy after the marriage of Thibaut VI to Marguerite de Châlons, Dame of Fontenoy. The site was enlarged to strengthen its defences towards the neighbouring duchy of Lorraine
Lorraine (province)
The Duchy of Upper Lorraine was an historical duchy roughly corresponding with the present-day northeastern Lorraine region of France, including parts of modern Luxembourg and Germany. The main cities were Metz, Verdun, and the historic capital Nancy....
.
In the second half of the 15th century, the higher curtains were adapted to artillery.
It was in 1596 (the date attested to by a foundation stone still in place in the high enclosure of the castle) that Diane de Dompmartin and her husband Charles Philippe de Croÿ consolidated the defences, and made Fontenoy a safe place, to become the necessary relay in the North-South trade.
Dismantling
The house was sporadically inhabited until the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
. But from 1750, due to the intensive construction of the village of Fontenoy, the ramparts were dismantlled and their stones used to build houses.
In 1784, Marc Antoine de Voyer described the castle thus::
« (the fortress) still has its walls and his doors, some towers of the outer works have been ruined… and one can still see on the chimneys of the castle: J'aime qui m'aime, vive Crouy (I like who likes me, long live Crouy). »
The keep was sold as biens nationaux (national property), «for its materials». The stone facing has almost completely disappeared; the destabilized sections of wall were ruined, the terraces sold, levelled, and transformed into vegetable gardens.
During the 19th century the dismantling of the walls was complete; the stones were used to build the town hall. Finally, to prevent the hazards of collapse, some walls were even blown up with explosives.
During the 1930s, Mr Louis Olivier complained at the inescapable disappearance of the keep and of the ruins that «nobody came even to maintain».
Today
A local association which works for the safeguard of the local inheritance, Les Amis du Vieux Fontenoy (the Friends of Old Fontenoy, or A.V.F), founded in 1978, launched an operation named S.O.S. Donjon. The goal of this project is to restore a facing on the Square Tower to halt its deterioration and to give back "legibility" to the site. The first stone of the new facing will be posed on July 5, 2008 during the medieval, festivals.