Front facade The Château of Modave (french: Château de Modave), also known as the Château des Comtes de Marchin (''Château of the Counts of Marchin'') is a

château A château (; plural: châteaux) is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking regions. Nowaday ...

near the village of Modave in

Liège Province Liège (; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is the easternmost province of the Wallonia region of Belgium. Liège Province is the only Belgian province that has borders with three countries. It borders (clockwise from the north) the Du ...

Wallonia Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—alo ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

History

The oldest part of the building, the

donjon A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in c ...

, was built on a strategic rock high above the valley of the river Hoyoux. The oldest parts still visible today date probably from the 13th century and were erected by the lords of Modave. In the 16th century the castle and the estate of Modave became the property of the Haultepenne and de Saint-Fontaine families. In the next century Jean-Gaspard-Ferdinand de Marchin (1601–1673), a great military commander, acquired the castle and turned it from a medieval fortress into a luxury

Baroque 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 ...

residence. His son

Ferdinand de Marsin Ferdinand, comte de Marsin (or ''Marchin'') (February 10, 1656 – September 9, 1706) was a French general and diplomat, who was Marshal of France. Biography He was born in Liège as the son of John Gaspar Ferdinand de Marchin, Comte de Granvill ...

neglected the property and lived in France. Later owners were successively: *

Maximilian Henry of Bavaria Maximilian Henry of Bavaria (german: Maximilian Heinrich von Bayern: 8 October 1621 – 3 June 1688) was the third son and fourth child of Albert VI, landgrave of Leuchtenberg and his wife, Mechthilde von Leuchtenberg. In 1650, he was named Ar ...

, Elector of Cologne and Prince-Bishop of Liège (1682–1684); * Cardinal

Wilhelm Egon von Fürstenberg Wilhelm Egon von Fürstenberg-Heiligenberg (2 December 162910 April 1704) was a German count and later prince of Fürstenberg-Heiligenberg in the Holy Roman Empire. He was a clergyman who became bishop of Strasbourg, and was heavily involved in E ...

, and his heirs (1684–1706); * Baron Arnold de Ville (1706–1772); and * Anne-Léon,

Duke of Montmorency Duke of Montmorency was a title of French nobility that was created several times for members of the Montmorency family, who were lords of Montmorency, near Paris. History The first creation was in 1551 for Anne de Montmorency, Constable of ...

, and his heirs (1772–1817). In the 19th century it was owned by the non-noble families of Lamarche, Braconier and Van Hoegaerden. Finally, the ''Compagnie Intercommunale Bruxelloise des Eaux'' ("Brussels Intercommunal Water Company") bought the property in March 1941, in order to protect the important water catchments in the park. The company still owns the château today and has been restoring it with great care. It is open for visitors from April until October and it is also used as a prestigious venue for concerts and receptions.

Architecture

The ancient fortified castle was rebuilt from 1659 to 1667 in a manner showing a remarkable affinity to the most modern ideas of European

country house An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these peopl ...

building of the time. It is particularly close to the buildings of François Mansart. The dignified symmetry with a triangular

pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedimen ...

accenting the main frontage, the geometrical articulation of the wall, the

mansard roof A mansard or mansard roof (also called a French roof or curb roof) is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope, punctured by dormer windows, at a steeper angle than the upper. The ...

s, and the spatial contrast between the corps de logis and the side wings have much in common with Mansart's country houses, such as the

Château de Maisons The Château de Maisons (now Château de Maisons-Laffitte), designed by François Mansart from 1630 to 1651, is a prime example of French baroque architecture and a reference point in the history of French architecture. The château is located in M ...

-Laffitte. Modave is the most prominent preserved example of High Baroque country-house architecture in the Southern Netherlands and the Prince-Bishopric of Liège. The château is unique for its splendidly preserved historic interiors and furniture dating from the 17th and 18th centuries. The

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...

ceilings date from the second half of the 17th century and were created by Jan-Christian Hansche.

External links

Modave Château official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chateau De Modave Modave Modave Museums in Liège Province Wallonia's Major Heritage Historic house museums in Belgium

History

Architecture

See also

External links