Château de Cons-la-Grandville
Encyclopedia
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
situated in the commune
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
of Cons-la-Grandville
Cons-la-Grandville
Cons-la-Grandville is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.The Château de Cons-la-Grandville is situated in the middle of the village.-External links:...
in the French département of Meurthe-et-Moselle
Meurthe-et-Moselle
Meurthe-et-Moselle is a department in the Lorraine region of France, named after the Meurthe and Moselle rivers.- History :Meurthe-et-Moselle was created in 1871 at the end of the Franco-Prussian War from the parts of the former departments of Moselle and Meurthe which remained French...
.
Description
The castle represents in a single building an architectural synthesis from the RomanesqueRomanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
to the Classical
Classicism
Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for classical antiquity, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. The art of classicism typically seeks to be formal and restrained: of the Discobolus Sir Kenneth Clark observed, "if we object to his restraint...
periods.
The first castle on the site was built at the end of the 11th century for Dudon de Cons. It was rebuilt before 1248 for Jacques de Cons: a round tower and part of the curtain wall remain from this period.
The present castle is built on the remains of the medieval castle, on a rocky promontory surrounded by the village and wooded hills. It was rebuilt for Martin de Custine using Pierre de Jaumont
Pierre de Jaumont
The Pierre de Jaumont is an oolitic limestone of the Upper Jurassic, found in Malancourt-la-Montagne, part of the commune of Montois-la-Montagne, in Lorraine, France....
, a yellow limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
during the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
, starting in 1572 (the north face has windows dated 1572, 1573, 1574, 1575).
The castle was partly reconstructed in the Classical style after the Thirty Years War. The north face was restored again in 1688 (the dates on the 9th and 10th windows provide evidence for this). Further rebuilding and modification took place in 1717, the 1730s and the at end of the 19th century.
The complex is completed with an 18th century barn with rich woodwork in oak as well as a garden.
At the side of the castle is a Benedictine
Order of Saint Benedict
The Order of Saint Benedict is a Roman Catholic religious order of independent monastic communities that observe the Rule of St. Benedict. Within the order, each individual community maintains its own autonomy, while the organization as a whole exists to represent their mutual interests...
priory
Priory
A priory is a house of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or religious sisters , or monasteries of monks or nuns .The Benedictines and their offshoots , the Premonstratensians, and the...
, reconstructed in the Classical period but built on a Romanesque style crypt from the 11th century, whose vaults are decorated with gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
frescoes dating from the 14th century.
Open to the public, the castle and its grounds have been restored since 1984. It was added to the inventory of national monuments (monument historique
Monument historique
A monument historique is a National Heritage Site of France. It also refers to a state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building or a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, or gardens, bridges, and other structures, because of their...
) in 1947 and has been classified since 1987.