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Founded: 13th centuryCategory: Castles and fortifications in France
Historical period: Late Capetians (France)
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The Château de la Mothe-Chandeniers is located in the commune of Les Trois-Moutiers in the north of the Vienne department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region.
Built around the 13th century in the Loudunais area of Anjou, it was originally named La Mothe-Bauçay (or La Mothe-Baussay), after the family that owned it. Through inheritance, the estate passed in 1448 to a branch of the House of Rochechouart, who were also lords of Champdeniers. One of its members, François de Rochechouart, Marquis of Chandeniers, accused of having participated in the Fronde, settled there in exile. The lavish lifestyle he led there led to his personal bankruptcy. The estate was sold in 1668, but it was this period that gave the château its final name. From then on, it passed through the hands of many French families, both noble and bourgeois.
Embellished in the early 19th century, the château was completely rebuilt from the mid-1850s onward. The surrounding area was also landscaped so that the building is encircled by water, similar to the Château d'Azay-le-Rideau.
Severely damaged by a fire in 1932, the building gradually deteriorated and fell into ruin, despite restoration efforts by successive owners.
In December 2017, the château was bought by thousands of internet users, following a crowdfunding campaign initiated by Dartagnans and Adopte un Château, which extended well beyond the borders of France. It is now owned by the “SAS Château de la Mothe-Chandeniers,” a company that brings together the many owners. Their main goals are to stop the deterioration of the building and to develop the château, its outbuildings, and the 2.1-hectare estate.
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.