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Founded: 15th centuryCategory: Castles and fortifications in France
Historical period: Valois Dynasty and Hundred Year's War (France)
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The Château de Marconnay is a 15th-century castle located in the commune of Sanxay, in the Vienne department of France. It blends Gothic and Renaissance architectural styles. The lordship of Marconnay belonged to the Lévesque family from at least 1369 until 1683. It was then purchased by Charlotte de Vernoux, a lady-in-waiting to Madame de Montespan, and remained in her possession until 1719, when a fire severely damaged the castle. Afterward, it was managed by tax farmers.
Surrounded by a water-filled moat, the castle consists of a rectangular enclosure containing the main house and outbuildings. A two-arched stone bridge crosses the moat, leading to a gatehouse topped with a domed roof and a small structure. It features two round-arched doors — one for carts, the other for pedestrians — and was originally protected by two drawbridges and defended by machicolations. The gatehouse dates to the 17th century.
Two round towers with 15th-century cannon openings flank the walls. The main residence includes a rectangular 15th-century building connected to a polygonal staircase tower, as well as an L-shaped wing added in the 17th century but never completed. This newer wing features an elegant entrance flanked by two slender columns supporting a decorative entablature, and two mullioned windows with one dormer, framed by fluted pilasters.
Do not miss to go inside to discover an exhibition of old tools.
The ancient Argos Theater was built in 320 BC. and is located in Argos, Greece against Larissa Hill. Nearby from this site is Agora, Roman Odeon, and the Baths of Argos. The theater is one of the largest architectural developments in Greece and was renovated in ca 120 AD.
The Hellenistic theater at Argos is cut into the hillside of the Larisa, with 90 steps up a steep incline, forming a narrow rectilinear cavea. Among the largest theaters in Greece, it held about 20,000 spectators and is divided by two landings into three horizontal sections. Staircases further divide the cavea into four cunei, corresponding to the tribes of Argos A high wall was erected to prevent unauthorized access into the theatron and may have helped the acoustics, but it is said the sound quality is still very good today.
Around 120 CE, both theaters were renovated in the Roman style.