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Built in 1590 on the remains of the old fortified castle destroyed during the Battle of Arques, the Miromesnil castle is the testimony of four centuries of architectural history. The simple lines of the Henry IV style south façade contrast with the decorative profusion of the Louis XIII monumental north facade.
Despite the succession of numerous landlords, the castle has kept its decorative elements from the past centuries: wooden panels from the XVII and XVIII century. The furniture (sofas, chest of drawers, wardrobes) relates life in the castle in the XVIII century. On the ground floor of one of the tower, a small lounge has been reorganised in a XIX century style, to recall the presence of the Maupassant family between 1849 and 1853.
The chapel Saint Anthony in the castle park was built between the XV and XVI century. The door is mounted with an arch, only decorative element of quite a sober general aspect. Its austere outside contrasts widely with the richness of the inside. Four XVI century statues in painted stone stare at the visitor when they enter the sanctuary. The stain glasses, from the same period, represent a Blamed Christ in the centre, and the landlords atthe time on the sides. Three contemporary stain glasses, made in 1964 by Guy De Vogüé offer an abstract representation of the Christ Passion. Finally, the chapel is entirely decorated with wooden panels and stucco ornaments. You can find an altar in oak and a fence made by a local blacksmith (Le Chien) from the XVII century. It was used by the monks from the Fécamps abbey until the revolution.
Today Château de Miromesnil is a hotel with beautiful gardens.
References:The Villa d'Este is a 16th-century villa in Tivoli, near Rome, famous for its terraced hillside Italian Renaissance garden and especially for its profusion of fountains: the extraordinary system contains fifty-one fountains and nymphaeums, 398 spouts, 364 water jets, 64 waterfalls, and 220 basins, fed by 875 meters of canals, channels and cascades, and all working entirely by the force of gravity, without pumps. It is now an Italian state museum, and is listed as a UNESCO world heritage site.
Tivoli had been a popular summer residence since ancient Roman times due to its altitude, cooler temperatures and its proximity to the Villa Hadriana, the summer residence of the Emperor Hadrian I.
The Villa was commissioned by Cardinal Ippolito II d'Este (1509-1572), second son of Alfonso I d'Este, the Duke of Ferrara and grandson of Pope Alexander VI, along with Lucrezia Borgia.