Tour de Crest
Encyclopedia
The Tour de Crest is the imposing vestige of a castle
- the Château de Crest - in the commune
of Crest
in the Drôme
département of France, one of the highest keep
s in Europe, if not the highest (52 metres/171 feet).
Calixte II
was sent from the Château de Crest (« Castrum Cristam »). It was at about this time that, around the foot of the tower, a medieval town was developing bearing the name of the master of the area, Lord Arnaud de Crest.
In 1394, the Château de Crest had a grand square tower built of dressed stone.
Cardinal Richelieu, on the orders of Louis XIII
, destroyed the castle leaving only the massive tower which today dominates the town of Crest.
The upper floors of the keep, originally defensive in purpose, were transformed into a prison and remained thus until 1873. The walls are covered with inscriptions by exiles from the Second Empire
.
The Tour de Crest was classified as a monument historique
on 6 June 1877. It has belonged, since 1988, to the town, which has allowed tourists to visit it.
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...
- the Château de Crest - 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 Crest
Crest, Drôme
Crest is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France.-Population:Its inhabitants are called Crestois.-Sights:* The Tour de Crest, one of the highest medieval keeps in France - 52 m. Its height dominates the town. The tower was part of a castle which guarded one of the entrances to the...
in the Drôme
Drôme
Drôme , a department in southeastern France, takes its name from the Drôme River.-History:The French National Constituent Assembly set up Drôme as one of the original 83 departments of France on March 4, 1790, during the French Revolution...
département of France, one of the highest keep
Keep
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 residences, used as a refuge of last resort should the rest of the...
s in Europe, if not the highest (52 metres/171 feet).
History
In 1120, a letter from PopePope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
Calixte II
Pope Callixtus II
Pope Calixtus II , born Guy de Vienne, the fourth son of William I, Count of Burgundy , was elected Pope on February 1, 1119, after the death of Pope Gelasius II . His pontificate was shaped by the Investiture Controversy, which he was able to settle through the Concordat of Worms...
was sent from the Château de Crest (« Castrum Cristam »). It was at about this time that, around the foot of the tower, a medieval town was developing bearing the name of the master of the area, Lord Arnaud de Crest.
In 1394, the Château de Crest had a grand square tower built of dressed stone.
Cardinal Richelieu, on the orders of Louis XIII
Louis XIII of France
Louis XIII was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1610 to 1643.Louis was only eight years old when he succeeded his father. His mother, Marie de Medici, acted as regent during Louis' minority...
, destroyed the castle leaving only the massive tower which today dominates the town of Crest.
The upper floors of the keep, originally defensive in purpose, were transformed into a prison and remained thus until 1873. The walls are covered with inscriptions by exiles from the Second Empire
Second French Empire
The Second French Empire or French Empire was the Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 1852 to 1870, between the Second Republic and the Third Republic, in France.-Rule of Napoleon III:...
.
The Tour de Crest was classified as a 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...
on 6 June 1877. It has belonged, since 1988, to the town, which has allowed tourists to visit it.