Château de Folleville is a ruined medieval castle. It was built in the late 14th century, dominating the valley of the Noye river, by Jean II de Folleville probably on the site of an earlier castle destroyed in 1358. Archaeological excavations gave evidence of a Roman camp at this site.
During the Hundred Years War, Folleville Castle was sieged several times. In 1440 it succumbed to the artillery of the famous English captain Talbot. It was taken and partially dismantled by the Burgundians to end incursions in the region by the English. It was not until 1478 that work was undertaken to repair the castle. A wing, now lost, was then added.
In 1777 the stones of Folleville Castle were used to built another castle in Mailly-Raineval by the Count de Mailly, husband of Marie Michèle de Séricourt. Twenty years later, during the French Revolution, this new castle was damaged and again stones were taken from Folleville Castle for repairs.
The adjacent church houses the striking tombs of the Lords of Folleville in Carrara marble, an example of the Italian Renaissance having spread as far as Picardy.
References:Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.
Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.
There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.