Château de Sassy was built of stone and bricks in the 18th century. It has imposing four levels of terraces. The Duke d’Audiffret-Pasquier, ancestor of the present owners, bought Sassy in 1850 and converted the east wing into a library, in order to house the important Parisian collection of his uncle, the Chancellor Pasquier.
Visitors can admire a fine furniture, various Aubusson and Gobelins tapestries and in the Chapel a 15 century retable (historical monument) coming from St. Bavon abbey in Ghent (Belgium). The Formal Gardens, surrounded by a moat, have been designed by Achille Duchesne, inspired by Le Nôtre achievements. This architecture of greenery and stone can be admired from the castle or when strolling along the terraces. The perspective is closed by a charming orangery, framed by a canopy of pruned lime trees. The garden's box, yew, laurel and other slow-growing evergreen plants are impervious to the seasons and wind, remaining fixed in their timeless splendour. The classical unity of the setting took more than a century to be accomplished. The central part of the castle dates back to the 18th century, while the formal beds were created around 1925.
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.