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Founded: c. 1180Category: Castles and fortifications in France
Historical period: Late Capetians (France)
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Château de Saint-Jean-d'Angle was probably built in the 12th century, probably by Guillaume de Lusignan who belonged to one of the most powerful families of the Poitou region. From 1406 to the 17th century, the castle remained in the hands of the Saint-Gelais family, a younger branch of the de Lusignan family. The residence adjoining the original rampart dates back to the Renaissance.
In 1994, Alain Rousselot, a businessman from La Rochelle bought the site with the intention of saving it. Today it is open to the public and hosts a medieval theme park.
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.