Hierges Castle (french: Château de Hierges) is a partially ruined

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

in the '' commune'' of

Hierges Hierges () is a commune in the Ardennes department in the Grand Est region in northern France. Hierges is located in the Meuse valley along the Belgian border. Population Sights and monuments * Château de Hierges, a castle whose origins ...

in the

Ardennes The Ardennes (french: Ardenne ; nl, Ardennen ; german: Ardennen; wa, Årdene ; lb, Ardennen ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Be ...

département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level ("territorial collectivity, territorial collectivities"), between the regions of France, admin ...

'' of France. It is privately owned and has been listed since 1980 as a ''

monument historique ''Monument historique'' () is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which National Heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a coll ...

'' by the French Ministry of Culture.

History

The castle, originally called ''Château de Jerusalem'' (Castle of Jerusalem) was built on the site of a '' castrum'' whose origins date back to the 9th century, when the

seigneurie In English law, seignory or seigniory, spelled ''signiory'' in Early Modern English (; french: seigneur, lit=lord; la, senior, lit=elder), is the lordship (authority) remaining to a grantor after the grant of an estate in fee simple. ''Nulle terre ...

of Hierges was part of the property of the house of Ardenne. At the time of the

Crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were in ...

, the fortress of Hierges was given to the Prince-Bishopric of Liège and, in the 12th century, the castle was destroyed. The castle was rebuilt in the 16th century, starting in 1560, with more comfort and openings for firearms. In the 18th century the former common and the

dovecote A dovecote or dovecot , doocot ( Scots) or columbarium is a structure intended to house pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be free-standing structures in a variety of shapes, or built into the end of a house or barn. They generally contain pige ...

were added. The castle was assaulted by revolutionaries in 1792 and destroyed by fire on 18 November 1793.

Architecture

Of this

Meuse The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a t ...

-style

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

castle, there remain the curtain walls and three large round partially ruined towers, constructed in red brick and blue stone. The fourth covered tower, semi-circular in blue stone from Givet, is inhabited by the current owner. On the towers, gun emplacements provided for mutual defence by cross fire. Some windows have cross mullions. The exterior gardens have been restored to present the appearance they would have had during the Renaissance. Image:Château hierges 004.JPG, Towers Image:Château hierges 002.JPG

Historic persons linked to the castle

* Héribrand II de Hierges, lord of

died in 1117, was the son of Héribrand I of Saussure, lord of Hierges and Hedwige d'Orchimont. He married Hodierna of Jerusalem, sister of King

Baldwin II of Jerusalem Baldwin II, also known as Baldwin of Bourcq or Bourg (; – 21August 1131), was Count of Edessa from 1100 to 1118, and King of Jerusalem from 1118 until his death. He accompanied his cousins Godfrey of Bouillon and Baldwin of Boulogne to the ...

and had a son, Manassès, who was made Constable of the

Kingdom of Jerusalem The Kingdom of Jerusalem ( la, Regnum Hierosolymitanum; fro, Roiaume de Jherusalem), officially known as the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem or the Frankish Kingdom of Palestine,Example (title of works): was a Crusader state that was establishe ...

from 1144 to 1152. * Mélusine of Hierges * Albert II of Hierges

Legends

Mélusine of Hierges

The castle was built in a single night by the famous fairy Mélusine and has 365 windows. Mélusine of Hierges, also known as Sybilla of Lusignan, the future Queen of Jerusalem, is a direct descendant of Mélusine (the eldest of the line still carries the name of the illustrious ancestor). Her father was

Manasses of Hierges Manasses of Hierges was an important crusader and constable of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. He was lord of Ramla from 1150 to 1152. Biography Early years He was the son of Hodierna of Rethel and Héribrand II of Hierges; Hodierna was daughter of ...

. She married an insignificant husband, Guy of Lusignan. She was

chatelaine Chatelaine may refer to: * Chatelaine (chain), a set of short chains on a belt worn by women and men for carrying keys, thimble and/or sewing kit, etc. *Chatelaine (horse), a racehorse * ''Chatelaine'' (magazine), an English-language Canadian wom ...

of Samson, where she took part in battles to defend the castle. According to some sources, she died of

plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pes ...

in 1190 before Saint John of Acre, or in 1187 in the lands of Samson.

The Ladies of Meuse

During the

First Crusade The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Islamic ru ...

, three knights who were sons of the lord of Hierges entrusted the guard of the castle to their wives who, unfaithful during their husbands' absence and wanting to throw themselves into the water on their return, were changed into stone, becoming the 'Ladies of the Meuse'. The site includes three large rocks which overlook the Meuse at

Laifour Laifour () is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France. It is situated on the river Meuse The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belg ...

References

Bibliography

* Jacques Henri Pirenne, ''La Seigneurie d'Hierges au Moyen-Âge'', extract from ''La Principauté de Chimay'', éditions Les Editeurs d’art associés, éditions d'art Lucien de Meyer, Bruxelles. * Jean-Marie Pérouse de Montclos (director) - ''Le guide du Patrimoine: Champagne-Ardenne'', p. 193, Hachette, Paris, 1995 ()

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hierges, Chateau de Castles in the Ardennes (France) Ruined castles in Grand Est Monuments historiques of Grand Est Châteaux in Ardennes (department)