The Château de Pouzauges is a ruined castle in the town and commune of Pouzauges. In the 11th century, the castle belonged to the family of Zacharie de Pouzauges, from who it passed it to the enigmatic Chantemerle family and then to the famous Savary family of Mauléon and finally to the Viscounts of Thouars, who administered nearly the whole of Vendée; they gave the castle to a cadet son who also owned Tiffauges.
Catherine de Thouars brought the castle into the possession of Gilles de Rais thanks to their marriage. She was going to live there after his death. Under the aegis of Catherine, the keep underwent many alterations to make it more comfortable as a residence. A new floor was added as well as a spiral staircase linking it to all the others. Several windows were made, replacing the older arrowslits, to give more light to the interior.
The castle was sold in 1634 to the lord of La Pélissonnière au Boupère. His descendants kept it until the mid-20th century.
During the War in the Vendée (1793-1794), the men of the 'infernal columns' commanded by General Lachenay shot 31 inhabitants of Pouzauges who had taken refuge in the enceinte of the old castle. This act was committed on 26 January 1794 at the end of a banquet offered by the republican to General Grignon. On the same day, the surrounding villages were burnt and a number of inhabitants were massacred.
The castle ruins are dominated by its majestic 12th century keep. The keep, more than 25 metres high, is one of twelve towers that make the curtain wall, offering visitors a fine example of civil Romanesque architecture.
References:The Clementinum is a historic complex of buildings in Prague. Until recently the complex hosted the National, University and Technical libraries, the City Library also being located nearby on Mariánské Náměstí. The Technical library and the Municipal library have moved to the Prague National Technical Library at Technická 6 since 2009. It is currently in use as the National Library of the Czech Republic.
Its history dates from the existence of a chapel dedicated to Saint Clement in the 11th century. A Dominican monastery was founded in the medieval period, which was transformed in 1556 to a Jesuit college. In 1622 the Jesuits transferred the library of Charles University to the Klementinum, and the college was merged with the University in 1654. The Jesuits remained until 1773, when the Klementinum was established as an observatory, library, and university by the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria.