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Founded: 12th centuryCategory: Castles and fortifications in France
Historical period: Birth of Capetian dynasty (France)
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Château de Montreuil-Bonnin has been listed as a historic monument since the very first register of 1840. The castle was built by Richard the Lionheart. Judging by the varied architecture of the different buildings, the castle has clearly undergone many changes throughout its history. The cylindrical towers reflect the evolution of military architecture during the reign of Philip Augustus. The castle was burned down in 1346 by the English forces under the Earl of Derby. From 1361 onward, it remained under English control. In the 16th century, two residential wings were added, and the towers were partially dismantled. During the French Wars of Religion, the castle became a Protestant stronghold. Today, one can still see the ruined towers, the remains of the living quarters, and parts of the original fortifications.
The Pilgrimage Church of Wies (Wieskirche) is an oval rococo church, designed in the late 1740s by Dominikus Zimmermann. It is located in the foothills of the Alps in the municipality of Steingaden.
The sanctuary of Wies is a pilgrimage church extraordinarily well-preserved in the beautiful setting of an Alpine valley, and is a perfect masterpiece of Rococo art and creative genius, as well as an exceptional testimony to a civilization that has disappeared.
The hamlet of Wies, in 1738, is said to have been the setting of a miracle in which tears were seen on a simple wooden figure of Christ mounted on a column that was no longer venerated by the Premonstratensian monks of the Abbey. A wooden chapel constructed in the fields housed the miraculous statue for some time. However, pilgrims from Germany, Austria, Bohemia, and even Italy became so numerous that the Abbot of the Premonstratensians of Steingaden decided to construct a splendid sanctuary.