Arcen Castle, Arcen, Netherlands - SpottingHistory.com

Arcen Castle was built in 1653 to the site of older castle destroyed in 1646. The origins date back to the 14th century. Castle gardens are today open to the public.

Castles and fortifications in Netherlands

User Reviews

Dariusz Waligóra (35 days ago)
Interesting place to spend time with nature. The castle is not big, but the main attention is on the gardens. Lots of themed gardens and general order throughout the grounds. You can see everything at a very relaxed pace in 4 hours, but you can also easily find activities for longer with the children. The only drawback is quite high entrance prices + parking and a poor offer of restaurants inside. Nevertheless, I recommend it, a place worth seeing.

Da Du (39 days ago)
Very beautiful and huge garden. A place never to be missed if you travel to Netherlands. It's only one and half hour drive from Cologne (germany).

I Love Flowers (49 days ago)
Stunning garden, i love the green view and i love flowers, Very relaxing and refreshing view perfect for family. Highly recommended.

Pasachy (2 months ago)
very large garden with beautiful plants. highly recommended if you like elegant gardens.

Carl-Philipp Mauve (5 months ago)
Very big and extra ordinary park with lots of exciting areas incl. Asian style.

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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.

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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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