Fontaine-l'Évêque Castle was first constructed here by Nicolas de Fontaine in the 13th century. Nicolas's sister, wife of Baudouin de Hennin-Liétard, inherited it, after which it went on to become the property of renowned families such as the Hamals, Herzelles and Rodoans. In the 16th-18th centuries the castle was completely restored and was given a more refined interior. In the 19th century the Bivort de la Saudée family renovated the castle once more.
References:Château de Niort is a medieval castle in the French town of Niort. It consists of two square towers, linked by a 15th-century building and dominates the Sèvre Niortaise valley.
The two donjons are the only remaining part of the castle. The castle was started by Henry II Plantagenet in the 12th century and completed by Richard the Lionheart. It was defended by a rectangular curtain wall and was damaged during the Wars of Religion. In the 18th century, the castle served as a prison.
The present keeps were the central point of a massive fortress. The southern keep is 28m tall, reinforced with turrets. The northern tower is slightly shorter at 23m. Both are flanked with circular turrets at the corners as well as semicircular buttresses. Each of the towers has a spiral staircase serving the upper floors. The Romanesque architecture is of a high quality with the dressed stones closely jointed.