Ravesteyn Castle (nl: Kasteel Ravesteyn) is a castle in
Heenvliet
Heenvliet is a town in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Nissewaard, and lies about 7 km south of Maassluis, on the Brielse Maas.
Heenvliet was a separate municipality until 1980, when it became part o ...
,
South Holland
South Holland ( nl, Zuid-Holland ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.7 million as of October 2021 and a population density of about , making it the country's most populous province and one of the world's most densely ...
. The castle was likely built circa 1250, and was in use until being destroyed during the
Eighty Years' War
The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt ( nl, Nederlandse Opstand) ( c.1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Refo ...
. The castle ruins are part of a protected garden.
Description
Ravesteyn Castle was built in the mid-13th century by Hugo, Lord of Heenvliet. Ravensteyn Castle was one of 5 fortified structures built in the area and would be the only one to survive. The two story castle was occupied for several centuries. A residential wing was added to the castle in the 14th-century, and that same century the fortification burned to its foundations before being rebuilt.
The castle continued to serve as a prison and military fortification during the 16th-century;
notably, one source noted that Dutch priest
Angelus Merula
The Angelus (; Latin for "angel") is a Catholic devotion commemorating the Incarnation of Christ. As with many Catholic prayers, the name ''Angelus'' is derived from its incipit—the first few words of the text: ("The Angel of the Lord d ...
was once imprisoned in the castle. The castle was intentionally destroyed in 1572 by Dutch
Sea Beggars during the
Dutch revolt against Spain in order to keep the castle from being used by the Spanish army. The castle ruins and moat remain near Heenvliet and are part of protected garden.
References
Castles in the Netherlands
Castles in South Holland
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