Château de Quintin, Quintin, France

Château de Quintin was mentioned as 'castellum novum' in 1202 and it was probably a fortified manor built in the late 1100s by Alain de Penthièvre. Geoffroy I Boterel built the first actual castle in the middle 1200s. it consisted of a moat, four gates, curtain walls and towers. The castle was badly damaged in the Wars of Religion (1590s).

The next castle was built as a living residence in 1643 and restored in 1785-1790. During the Great Revolution Château de Quintin was used as a prison. Since 1935 it has been owned by Bagneux family.

References:

Château de Quintin

User Reviews

brigitte valain (2 years ago)
Accueillis par la propriétaire de manière très sympathique, nous avons fait sa visite guidée pleine d'enthousiasme.

Veronique Andre (3 years ago)
Magnifique. Ville animée. Fête de novembre géniale. Il faut vraiment y aller chants danses costumes d'antan..photos à fonds pour souvenir.

martin Brigden-Gwinnutt (3 years ago)
Nice chateau. Our tour was done by a family member. She doesn't do the tour in English but there is a book provided with all the important details in English. She also checked that we were following the tour ok. Worth the visit to support their conservation and at 6 euros each, not expensive

Rachel Tyson (3 years ago)
Lovely place to visit but a little disappointed that it was all guided tours and no real freedom to explore yourself

HikingOFF (3 years ago)
Very attypic experiences

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright saxuisse

Historic Site of the week

Les Invalides

Les Invalides is a complex of buildings containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as well as a hospital and a retirement home for war veterans, the building"s original purpose. The buildings house the Musée de l"Armée, the military museum of the Army of France, the Musée des Plans-Reliefs, and the Musée d"Histoire Contemporaine, as well as the burial site for some of France"s war heroes, notably Napoleon Bonaparte.

Louis XIV initiated the project in 1670, as a home and hospital for aged and unwell soldiers: the name is a shortened form of hôpital des invalides. The architect of Les Invalides was Libéral Bruant. The enlarged project was completed in 1676, the river front measured 196 metres and the complex had fifteen courtyards. Jules Hardouin Mansart assisted the aged Bruant, and the chapel was finished in 1679 to Bruant"s designs after the elder architect"s death.

Shortly after the veterans" chapel was completed, Louis XIV commissioned Mansart to construct a separate private royal chapel referred to as the Église du Dôme from its most striking feature. Inspired by St. Peter"s Basilica in Rome, the original for all Baroque domes, it is one of the triumphs of French Baroque architecture. The domed chapel is centrally placed to dominate the court of honour. It was finished in 1708.

Because of its location and significance, the Invalides served as the scene for several key events in French history. On 14 July 1789 it was stormed by Parisian rioters who seized the cannons and muskets stored in its cellars to use against the Bastille later the same day. Napoleon was entombed under the dome of the Invalides with great ceremony in 1840. In December 1894 the degradation of Captain Alfred Dreyfus was held before the main building, while his subsequent rehabilitation ceremony took place in a courtyard of the complex in 1906.

The building retained its primary function of a retirement home and hospital for military veterans until the early twentieth century. In 1872 the musée d"artillerie (Artillery Museum) was located within the building to be joined by the Historical Museum of the Armies in 1896. The two institutions were merged to form the present musée de l"armée in 1905. At the same time the veterans in residence were dispersed to smaller centres outside Paris. The reason was that the adoption of a mainly conscript army, after 1872, meant a substantial reduction in the numbers of veterans having the twenty or more years of military service formerly required to enter the Hôpital des Invalides. The building accordingly became too large for its original purpose. The modern complex does however still include the facilities detailed below for about a hundred elderly or incapacitated former soldiers.

Do you know an ancient castle or magnificent church near you?

Why not share it with other people interested in history? You can add your own historic sites and attractions to SpottingHistory.com.

It's absolutely free, easy, and doesn't even need registration!

Upload data

Château de Quintin

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Rhodes, The Island of Knights

Great Spa Towns of Europe

History of Guernsey & Jersey

Historic Site of the week

Les Invalides

Looks like you are a history fan!