The château de Gratot is a ruined

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

in the commune of Gratot, in the Manche ''département'' of

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

, France. It has been classified by the French Government as a

Monument historique ''Monument historique'' () is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which National Heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a coll ...

. It is located only a few kilometers from the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...

History

The first Château de Gratot was built during the 14th century, but underwent many transformations until the 18th century. It was constructed by the family of Argouges, barons of Gratot: they sold the castle in 1771. The castle is built in a number of styles, the most recent addition being a pavilion built in the 18th century. The castle was neglected in the 19th century, and was used as a fodder warehouse for local farmers. It was definitively abandoned at the start of the 20th century. Since 1968 it has been recovering its past glories owing to a team of volunteers who restore it lovingly. The main restoration work took place in the late 60's and 70's, requiring tonnes of rubble to be removed from the cellars and ground floor, and the castle grounds to be cleared of undergrowth. Since then some buildings, including two of the towers, have been rebuilt, including adding wooden roofs to the towers and some buildings. Historical documents and 19th-century paintings showing the castle as a romantic ruin were used to guide reconstruction efforts. The 18th-century pavilion has been fully restored with roof, floors, a staircase, windows and electricity, allowing it to be used for exhibitions and cultural events. The latest renovation work concentrates on the formal gardens: only the shape of the gardens can currently be seen, with no paths or planting Nearly visitors went to the castle during 2003. It is now classed as a ''

'' (Historic monument) by the

French Ministry of Culture The Ministry of Culture (french: Ministère de la Culture) is the ministry of the Government of France in charge of national museums and the . Its goal is to maintain the French identity through the promotion and protection of the arts (visual, ...

. It is open to the public all year round. During the summer months there is a welcome desk and gift shop: the remainder of the year guidebooks are available to visitors to guide themselves around.

Architecture

Main entry

A little bridge with three arches spans the moat and gives access to the porch. The outhouses are located on both sides of the postern. A tower is raised in the west corner.

Residence

The main residence building, now in 18th century style, originally had three floors and nearly fifteen rooms. The roof is ''à la '' Mansart. Large windows open into the ground floor, and high

spire light Spire light (French language, Fr. ''lucarne''), the term given to the windows in a spire which are found in all periods of English Gothic architecture, and in French spires form a very important feature in the composition. There is an early examp ...

s at the first floor.

Round tower

The round tower of the

was erected in the 15th century and has a

look. A sudden narrowing in the

spiral staircase Stairs are a structure designed to bridge a large vertical distance between lower and higher levels by dividing it into smaller vertical distances. This is achieved as a diagonal series of horizontal platforms called steps which enable passage ...

prevents two attackers ascending simultaneously. The entry to the cellars opens at the bottom of the tower. At the top of the tower is a guards' room where remnants of mediaeval wall paintings may still be seen. Another angle tower from the medieval period (13th century) remains: the door has been walled up.

The Fairy tower

The Fairy tower (french: La tour de la fée) was constructed at the end of the 15th century, and is supported by strong buttresses. The base is octagonal, and is finished by a rectangular room: the roof has two panels. The top is decorated by

baluster A baluster is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its cons ...

s and

gargoyle In architecture, and specifically Gothic architecture, a gargoyle () is a carved or formed grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing it from running down masonry walls ...

s. According to the legend, a lord of Argouges met a very beautiful young woman at a well. He immediately fell in love, and asked her to marry him. The beauty said she was a fairy, and would accept to be his wife only if he would never say the word "death". The lord promised. One day, during a feast at the castle, the lord was upset at having to wait while his wife was dressing and said: ”Madam, you are very slow in your tasks! You would be good to send to fetch death, as you take so much time.” Then the fairy shouted, climbed onto the window sill and disappeared, leaving her handprint on the sill. This legend is known as the legend of

Melusina Mélusine () or Melusina is a figure of European folklore, a nixie (folklore), female spirit of fresh water in a holy well or river. She is usually depicted as a woman who is a Serpent (symbolism), serpent or fish from the waist down (much lik ...

and was probably appropriated by the Argouges family to add prestige, or to explain some event in the family's past.

Outbuildings

The outbuildings were constructed around the end of the 16th century. In a hall near the entrance is an exhibition called "Eight centuries of life" (french: Huit siècles de vie), about the history of the castle and the different steps of its restoration. As a cultural center, the castle regularly houses artistic events (painting, sculptures) and an annual theatrical production.

References

External links

Official site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gratot, Chateau de Castles in Manche Monuments historiques of Manche Ruined castles in Normandy Historic house museums in Normandy Museums in Manche