The Château de la Montagne ( it, Casa di Montagna), also known as the De Poincy Château or the Château de la Fontaine, was a

fortified A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

palace in Saint Peter Basseterre Parish on the island of

Saint Kitts Saint Kitts, officially the Saint Christopher Island, is an island in the West Indies. The west side of the island borders the Caribbean Sea, and the eastern coast faces the Atlantic Ocean. Saint Kitts and the neighbouring island of Nevis cons ...

. It was built in the 1640s by Governor

Phillippe de Longvilliers de Poincy Phillippe de Longvilliers de Poincy (1584–1660) was a French nobleman and Bailiff Grand Cross of the Knights of Malta. He governed the island of Saint Christopher from 1639 to his death in 1660, first under the Compagnie des Îles de l'Amériq ...

, and it remained standing until it was destroyed in an earthquake in 1689. Built in the

Baroque style The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

, the château was regarded as one of the finest houses in the Caribbean.

History

, the French governor of St. Christopher and a knight of the Order of St. John, purchased an estate called La Fontaine for the sum of 110,000

livres The (; ; abbreviation: ₶.) was one of numerous currencies used in medieval France, and a unit of account (i.e., a monetary unit used in accounting) used in Early Modern France. The 1262 monetary reform established the as 20 , or 80.88 gr ...

in the early 1640s. The area was located on high ground overlooking the capital

Basseterre Basseterre (; Saint Kitts Creole: ''Basterre'') is the capital and largest city of Saint Kitts and Nevis with an estimated population of 14,000 in 2018. Geographically, the Basseterre port is located at , on the south western coast of Saint Kit ...

, and de Poincy constructed the Château de la Montagne on this estate. The brick-makers, locksmiths, carpenters, stone-trimmers and limekiln builders involved in its construction had been brought from France. The estate was maintained by 100 servants and around 300 slaves. Over the years, the château was fortified with outer and inner walls as well as an arsenal. The original entrance which faced the palace was replaced by a heavily fortified entrance on the east side. The château was manned by a 50-man guard, and it was defended by bronze cannons. The château passed into the hands of the Order of St. John following de Poincy's death in 1660. It was probably destroyed in an earthquake in 1689. A few traces of the building, including a fountain and some red bricks, can still be seen today.

Architecture

The Château de la Montagne was built in a mixture of the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

and French Baroque styles, and it was regarded as one of the finest houses in the Caribbean. The palace itself was a three-storey building which stood on a terrace and was approached by a large courtyard. It had a lavish interior, displaying a number of paintings and maritime maps. It also had an extensive library, the oldest known in the Caribbean. The palace was fortified by walls and a

ditch A ditch is a small to moderate divot created to channel water. A ditch can be used for drainage, to drain water from low-lying areas, alongside roadways or fields, or to channel water from a more distant source for plant irrigation. Ditches ar ...

. There were a number of ancillary structures within the walls, including a church and quarters for de Poincy's workers and servants. The slaves' quarters were located outside the ditch. The château had its own water supply, and it was surrounded by extensive gardens full of exotic flowers and plants. The gardens were decorated by a number of fountains. Stables and a pigsty stood to the rear of the gardens.

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chateau De La Montagne Montagne Buildings and structures in Basseterre Castles and fortifications of the Knights Hospitaller Palaces in Saint Kitts and Nevis Fortifications in Saint Kitts and Nevis Baroque architecture in Saint Kitts and Nevis Houses completed in the 17th century Buildings and structures demolished in the 17th century Ruins in Saint Kitts and Nevis