The Château d'Acquigny is a French castle located in the department of

Eure Eure ( ; ; or ) is a department in the administrative region of Normandy, northwestern France, named after the river Eure. Its prefecture is Évreux. In 2021, Eure had a population of 598,934.Upper Normandy. The present castle was built in 1557 by Anne de Laval and was listed in the French National Inventory of Historical Monuments in 1926.

Topography and climate

Acquigny Acquigny () is a commune in the Eure department in Normandy in northern France. The 16th century Château d'Acquigny is located here. Population See also *Communes of the Eure department The following is a list of the 585 communes of th ...

sits at the confluence of two rivers: the

Eure Eure ( ; ; or ) is a department in the administrative region of Normandy, northwestern France, named after the river Eure. Its prefecture is Évreux. In 2021, Eure had a population of 598,934.Chartres Chartres () is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Eure-et-Loir Departments of France, department in the Centre-Val de Loire Regions of France, region in France. It is located about southwest of Paris. At the 2019 census, there were 1 ...

, and the

Iton The Iton () is a Rivers of France, river in Normandy, France, left tributary of the river Eure (river), Eure. It is long. Its source is near Moulins-la-Marche. For about 10 km between Orvaux and Glisolles, it disappears and pursues a subter ...

. The two rivers were dammed and redirected during the 12th century by the monks of Conches-en-Ouche to power mills in the region. These newly created branches also fed into the castle's moats, which protected the monastery of Saint-Mals and the medieval village located directly behind the current castle. On either side of the château are heavily wooded hills that shelter the valley in which the château lies, creating a

microclimate A microclimate (or micro-climate) is a local set of atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric conditions that differ from those in the surrounding areas, often slightly but sometimes substantially. The term may refer to areas as small as a few square m ...

slightly warmer than the surrounding areas.

History

Medieval fortress

The Renaissance château that exists today was built on the site of a medieval fortress that had been built in the 11th century to protect

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

while

William the Conqueror William the Conqueror (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), sometimes called William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England (as William I), reigning from 1066 until his death. A descendant of Rollo, he was D ...

was campaigning in England. Following the imprisonment of

Charles II of Navarre Charles II (, , , 10 October 1332 – 1 January 1387), known as the Bad, was King of Navarre beginning in 1349, as well as Count of Évreux beginning in 1343, holding both titles until his death in 1387. Besides the Kingdom of Navarre nestled in ...

in 1356, the Duke of Lancaster was sent by the King of England to rescue Philip of Navarre, brother of Charles. His army of twelve hundred horsemen, sixteen thousand archers and two thousand armed brigandines convened in Évreux. The original fortress was taken by Navarre and his army. Following the Battle of Cocherel, the castle served as a refuge and stronghold for Navarre. Control of this strategic location along the two rivers caused much anxiety for the king of France, who feared a loss of influence in the High Normandy Region and ordered his forces to retake Acquigny. After a six-month siege by the French forces, the fortress was retaken. In 1378, the fortress was razed by Charles V, who wished to destroy any fortifications and castles in Normandy that stood for the King of Navarre. Charles V was successful in this aim with the exception of Cherbourg, which the French could not capture. When the English were forced out of Normandy in 1450, Anne de Laval took possession of Acquigny. In an act to pay homage to the king of France, Anne de Laval combined the baronies Acquigny and Crevecoeur Crevecoeur.

The castle today

The present castle was built in 1557 by Anne de Laval, daughter of Guy XVI de Laval and widow of Louis Silly. She was also the cousin of the king and first lady of honor of Catherine de Medici. She wanted the architects

Philibert Delorme Philibert de l'Orme () (3-9 June 1514 – 8 January 1570) was a French architect and writer, and one of the great masters of French Renaissance architecture. His surname is also written De l'Orme, de L'Orme, or Delorme. Biography Early care ...

and Jacques Androuet Hoop to design a castle inspired by the eternal love she bore for her husband. The castle's crest is made from the couple's intertwined initials (ALS); the floor plan of the château also takes the form of this triglyph. On the central turret, there is a vault in the form of a seashell in tribute to the Way of St. James. This facade of honor is coated with many other decorative elements that celebrate the love she held for her husband. The castle was purchased in 1656 by Claude Roux Cambremont. In 1745, Pierre-Robert Roux Esneval, known as the President of Acquigny and the great-grandson of Claude Roux Cambremont, expanded the castle. Pierre-Robert Roux Esneval employed the architect Charles Thibault to rebuild the chapel of Saint-Mals as well as stables and sheds. It was at this time that the

orangery An orangery or orangerie is a room or dedicated building, historically where orange and other fruit trees are protected during the winter, as a large form of greenhouse or conservatory. In the modern day an orangery could refer to either ...

was built, along with the Church of Saint Cécile and the Little Castle, which was designed to be attached to a hermitage.

Gardens

The vast park created during the 17th century follows a circular route. The forest is filled with large chestnut trees, many over two hundred years old. At the beginning of the 19th century, the park à la française was converted into a Romantic garden, with elements such as a cascade and a path of rocks based on a theme dear to

Jean-Jacques Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Republic of Geneva, Genevan philosopher (''philosophes, philosophe''), writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment through ...

in'' Reveries of the Solitary Walker''.

External links

Château d'Acquigny, official site (in English)

References

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Acquigny, Chateau D' Châteaux in Eure Monuments historiques of Eure