Miramont Castle is a museum located in

Manitou Springs, Colorado Manitou Springs is a home rule municipality located at the foot of Pikes Peak in western El Paso County, Colorado, United States. The town was founded for its natural mineral springs. The downtown area continues to be of interest to travelers, ...

. The Castle was originally built in 1895 as a private home for Father Jean Baptist Francolon, a French-born Catholic priest. Located in the

Manitou Springs Historic District Manitou Springs Historic District in Manitou Springs, Colorado is roughly bounded by U.S. Route 24 in Colorado, US 24, Ruxton Avenue, El Paso Boulevard and Iron Mountain Avenue. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places,

, it is a

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

listing.

History

Father Jean Baptiste Francolon built Miramont Castle in 1895. The house is "an eclectic estate that blends a variety of architectural styles from

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

to Tudor." Construction was completed in 1896."Holiday house tour starts ominously, ends on a happy note"
''The Gazette.'' Nl.newsbank.com (December 15, 1991). Retrieved on May 5, 2013. The castle is an architectural example of the

Victorian Era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...

. In 1976 Miramont Castle was added to the

due to its significant historic heritage and architectural variety.

Sisters of Mercy The Sisters of Mercy is a religious institute of Catholic women founded in 1831 in Dublin, Ireland, by Catherine McAuley. As of 2019, the institute had about 6200 sisters worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations. They a ...

operated

Montcalm Sanitarium The town of Colorado Springs, Colorado played an important role in the history of tuberculosis in the era before antituberculosis drugs and vaccines. Tuberculosis management before this era was difficult and often of limited effect. In the 19th ce ...

at Miramont, sharing the property with Francolon. Popular folklore has it that the castle is haunted with various apparitions and unexplained phenomenon as reported by visitors and staff.Colorado’s Haunted Architecture – Miramont Castle
Thecoloradoarchitect.com. Retrieved on May 5, 2013.

Current

The house is now a Victorian-era

historic house museum A historic house museum is a house of historic significance that has been transformed into a museum. Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home. Historic house museums are held to a ...

that is owned and operated by the Manitou Springs Historical Society. Visitors can tour 42 furnished rooms and gardens. The site also features a tea room and gift shop.

Notes

References

External links

Miramont Castle
- official site {{National Register of Historic Places Buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Colorado Castles in Colorado Colorado State Register of Historic Properties Historic house museums in Colorado Museums in El Paso County, Colorado Manitou Springs, Colorado Houses completed in 1895 National Register of Historic Places in El Paso County, Colorado