Château de Bonrepos, Bonrepos-Riquet, France

Château de Bonrepos was built by Pierre-Paul Riquet in 1651. The castle is surrounded by moat spanned by two bridges. The pleasure gardens of the castle of are registered as Remarkable Gardens of France.

User Reviews

Yvon FERRARI (2 years ago)
Excellente visite guidée effectuée par Ambre et Gilles. A voir.

Miquel Riera (2 years ago)
Lloc apartat del bullici. Tranquil i a la vegada un pel fantasmagoric quan hi ha boira.

Beatrice Jean (2 years ago)
Très beau ĺieu historique maintenue par une association qui le rénove pour garder ce château en vie spectacle et accessible

Florence Spadotto (2 years ago)
Très beau château rempli d histoire. Parc grandiose avec les essais du canal du midi . aidons le pour sa restauration.

Lucille Santos (3 years ago)
Je suis allée a ce château pendant la fête des plantes, très sympa malgré le froid, je château est joli et la balade est agréable. Bonne activité proche de Toulouse pour passer 1h a la campagne.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Martin M. Miles

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The Abbey of Saint-Etienne, also known as Abbaye aux Hommes ('Men"s Abbey'), is a former monastery dedicated to Saint Stephen (Saint Étienne). It is considered, along with the neighbouring Abbaye aux Dames ('Ladies" Abbey'), to be one of the most notable Romanesque buildings in Normandy. Like all the major abbeys in Normandy, it was Benedictine.

Lanfranc, before being an Archbishop of Canterbury, was abbot of Saint-Etienne. Built in Caen stone during the 11th century, the two semi-completed churches stood for many decades in competition. An important feature added to both churches in about 1120 was the ribbed vault, used for the first time in France. The two abbey churches are considered forerunners of the Gothic architecture. The original Romanesque apse was replaced in 1166 by an early Gothic chevet, complete with rosette windows and flying buttresses. Nine towers and spires were added in the 13th century. The interior vaulting shows a similar progression, beginning with early sexpartite vaulting (using circular ribs) in the nave and progressing to quadipartite vaults (using pointed ribs) in the sanctuary.

The two monasteries were finally donated by William the Conqueror and his wife, Matilda of Flanders, as penalty for their marriage against the Pope"s ruling. William was buried here; Matilda was buried in the Abbaye aux Dames. Unfortunately William"s original tombstone of black marble, the same kind as Matilda"s in the Abbaye aux Dames, was destroyed by the Calvinist iconoclasts in the 16th century and his bones scattered.

As a consequence of the Wars of Religion, the high lantern tower in the middle of the church collapsed and was never rebuilt. The Benedictine abbey was suppressed during the French Revolution and the abbey church became a parish church. From 1804 to 1961, the abbey buildings accommodated a prestigious high school, the Lycée Malherbe. During the Normandy Landings in 1944, inhabitants of Caen found refuge in the church; on the rooftop there was a red cross, made with blood on a sheet, to show that it was a hospital (to avoid bombings).

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