Montaigle Castle Ruins, Onhaye, Belgium

Montaigle Castle was built in the 14th century, and destroyed by Henry II of France in 1554. It stands on a rocky spur overlooking the valleys of the Molignée and of the Flavion. The site was used during the Late Roman period for a Belgo-Roman fortification.

The ruins are open to visitors, convention spaces are also available.

User Reviews

Алёна Vanden Bussche (3 years ago)
Des superbes ruines de château avec la vue magnifique. J'ai adoré ! Juste le temps n'a pas été parfait pour une visite.

Suiram Travel (3 years ago)
Wonderful

alwine P (3 years ago)
De ruïne is mooi. Wij waren er met drie kleine kinderen en dan is het levensgevaarlijk! Nergens hekken, ze kunnen zo 10 meter naar beneden vallen. Het uitzicht is prachtig. Wij zijn er gewoon met de auto heen gereden, dan moet je over een vreemd paadje. Maar je komt voor de ruïne uit. Bij de entree zijn hele leuke cadeaus voor kinderen te koop, voor heel weinig geld. Wij hebben het hier naar onze zin gehad.

Ryan Woods (3 years ago)
Wonderful castle! They've done a great job preserving the ruins here and allow a remarkable amount of freedom to explore and poke around the grounds. Staff is super friendly as well. Well worth a stop and even a decent amount of detour. The small museum has some interesting artifacts as well.

Maureen Henry (3 years ago)
Une magnifique expérience avec une classe de cinquième primaire. Les enfants sont revenus enchantés de la visite et en gardent un fabuleux souvenir . Merci pour votre passion transmise aux enfants et pour la préparation des activités. Bonne continuation !

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Me in ME

Historic Site of the week

Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba

The Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba, also known as the Great Mosque of Córdoba and the Mezquita is regarded as one of the most accomplished monuments of Moorish architecture.

According to a traditional account, a small Visigoth church, the Catholic Basilica of Saint Vincent of Lérins, originally stood on the site. In 784 Abd al-Rahman I ordered construction of the Great Mosque, which was considerably expanded by later Muslim rulers. The mosque underwent numerous subsequent changes: Abd al-Rahman II ordered a new minaret, while in 961 Al-Hakam II enlarged the building and enriched the Mihrab. The last of such reforms was carried out by Almanzor in 987. It was connected to the Caliph"s palace by a raised walkway, mosques within the palaces being the tradition for previous Islamic rulers – as well as Christian Kings who built their palaces adjacent to churches. The Mezquita reached its current dimensions in 987 with the completion of the outer naves and courtyard.

In 1236, Córdoba was conquered by King Ferdinand III of Castile, and the centre of the mosque was converted into a Catholic cathedral. Alfonso X oversaw the construction of the Villaviciosa Chapel and the Royal Chapel within the mosque. The kings who followed added further Christian features, such as King Henry II rebuilding the chapel in the 14th century. The minaret of the mosque was also converted to the bell tower of the cathedral. It was adorned with Santiago de Compostela"s captured cathedral bells. Following a windstorm in 1589, the former minaret was further reinforced by encasing it within a new structure.

The most significant alteration was the building of a Renaissance cathedral nave in the middle of the expansive structure. The insertion was constructed by permission of Charles V, king of Castile and Aragon. Artisans and architects continued to add to the existing structure until the late 18th century.

Architecture

The building"s floor plan is seen to be parallel to some of the earliest mosques built from the very beginning of Islam. It had a rectangular prayer hall with aisles arranged perpendicular to the qibla, the direction towards which Muslims pray. The prayer hall was large and flat, with timber ceilings held up by arches of horseshoe-like appearance.

In planning the mosque, the architects incorporated a number of Roman columns with choice capitals. Some of the columns were already in the Gothic structure; others were sent from various regions of Iberia as presents from the governors of provinces. Ivory, jasper, porphyry, gold, silver, copper, and brass were used in the decorations. Marvellous mosaics and azulejos were designed. Later, the immense temple embodied all the styles of Morisco architecture into one composition.

The building is most notable for its arcaded hypostyle hall, with 856 columns of jasper, onyx, marble, granite and porphyry. These were made from pieces of the Roman temple that had occupied the site previously, as well as other Roman buildings, such as the Mérida amphitheatre. The double arches were an innovation, permitting higher ceilings than would otherwise be possible with relatively low columns. The double arches consist of a lower horseshoe arch and an upper semi-circular arch.

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