The Château de Doué-la-Fontaine, also known as Motte de la Chapelle and Doué-la-Fontaine Castle, is a

motte and bailey A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy ...

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

Doué-la-Fontaine Doué-la-Fontaine () is a former Communes of France, commune in the Maine-et-Loire Departments of France, department in western France. On 30 December 2016, it was merged into the new commune Doué-en-Anjou. It is located in the heart of Duchy of ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

that was built upon the foundations of an older 9th century

Carolingian The Carolingian dynasty ( ; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charles Martel and his grandson Charlemagne, descendants of the Arnulfing and Pippinid c ...

aula (hall). The later castle, built around the year 950, is widely believed to have been the oldest known castle built out of stone. Only the aula survives today, while the castle and most of the motte no longer survive.

History

On the site of the castle, an older Carolingian aula was built during the 9th or early 10th century for the

Count of Anjou The Count of Anjou was the ruler of the County of Anjou, first granted by King Charles the Bald, Charles the Bald of West Francia in the 9th century to Robert the Strong. Ingelger and his son, Fulk the Red, were viscounts until Fulk assumed the t ...

and was owned at one point by King

Robert I of France Robert I ( – 15 June 923) was the elected King of West Francia from 922 to 923. Before his election to the throne he was Count of Poitiers, Count of Paris and Marquess, Marquis of Neustria and Orléans. He succeeded the overthrown Carolingian ...

before his death in 923. The Carolingian building, which measured by , consisted of a large room of one level (an aula), with walls 1.80 metres thick, was set on fire around 930–40, probably during a war between the counts of Anjou and the

counts of Blois During the Middle Ages, the counts of Blois were among the most powerful vassals of the King of France. This title of nobility seems to have been created in 832 by Emperor Louis the Pious for William, the youngest son of Adrian, Count of Orléa ...

. Around 950, the building was fortified by the Theobald I, Count of Blois by adding an upper floor with external entrance above the old aula, which was converted to a cellar. Evidence for the conversion during the 10th century is

graffiti Graffiti (singular ''graffiti'', or ''graffito'' only in graffiti archeology) is writing or drawings made on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written "monikers" to elabor ...

of that time written by an unknown man named Aimeri - all that is known about him is that he devoted this graffiti to King

Louis the Pious Louis the Pious (; ; ; 16 April 778 – 20 June 840), also called the Fair and the Debonaire, was King of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor, co-emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813. He was also King of Aquitaine from 781. As the only ...

. Around 1000, the entire structure was buried within a

motte A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or Bailey (castle), bailey, surrounded by a protective Rampart (fortificati ...

(an earth mound) that was tall and a

donjon A keep 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 castles that were fortified residenc ...

(keep) was built atop it. The buried building was partly used as a prison. The keep was burnt and destroyed in 1026 by Fulk Nerra. The site was refortified in both 1468 and 1472, with no traces of these later fortifications surviving today.

Excavation

The motte was then known as "Motte de la Chapelle" and in 1966, the motte was going to be leveled by Michel de Boüard, but when a mechanical device gutted the mound and uncovered traces of masonry, the site was stopped and the ruins were excavated and it was made a historical monument on 19 December 1973.. Most of the motte was still eventually flattened to expose as much of the ruins of the aula as possible.

Gallery

Doué-la-Fontaine.Contre-coeur de cheminée.JPG,

Fireplace A fireplace or hearth is a structure made of brick, stone or metal designed to contain a fire. Fireplaces are used for the relaxing ambiance they create and for heating a room. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficiency, depending on the design. ...

Doué-la-Fontaine (Maine-et-Loire) (24627165578).jpg, Inside view of the ruined aula Doué-la-Fontaine (Maine-et-Loire) (37784145054).jpg, Ruins of a well(?) Doué-la-Fontaine (Maine-et-Loire) (38467119922).jpg, Close-up view of the doorway

References

{{coord, 47.1879, -0.2804, type:landmark_region:FR, display=title Castles in France Motte-and-bailey castles Ruined castles in France