The earliest recorded castle of Château de Challain-la-Potherie dates all the way back to the medieval age in 1050. The original castle was probably part of the ‘Les Marches de Bretagne’ a series of fortresses that acted as a defensive line that protected the people of the ancient region of France known as Brittany. That chateau, and many others that followed it were destroyed in the wars, and conflicts that wracked the area in the centuries that followed.
The current Château de Challain-la-Potherie was built from 1847 to 1854 in the neo-Gothic style, which was fashionable among the French aristocracy at the time. Its architect, René Hodé, designed many other châteaux in the same style in Anjou, but Challain remains the most imposing.
The 19th-century castle was commissioned by Louise-Ida de La Potherie, the last of her name, and her husband, the Count of La Rochefoucauld-Bayers. The choice of the neo-Gothic style was a means for them to restore the family's glory after the French Revolution. It was also a choice motivated by the tastes of the time, as neo-Gothic was in vogue among the Angevin aristocracy. René Hodé specifically adopted the troubadour style, which applied a neo-medieval decoration to a functional structure. The internal structure of the castle and its general layout followed the neoclassical architectural rules developed in the 18th century.
Despite its grandeur and significant place in the history of Angevin architecture, it suffered some degradation after the death of its patrons. It had numerous successive owners during the 20th century and served as a vacation colony center for about twenty years. Finally, in 2002, it was transformed into a luxury guesthouse.
The Walls of Constantinople are a series of defensive stone walls that have surrounded and protected the city of Constantinople (today Istanbul) since its founding as the new capital of the Roman Empire by Constantine the Great. With numerous additions and modifications during their history, they were the last great fortification system of antiquity, and one of the most complex and elaborate systems ever built. They were also the largest and strongest fortification in both the ancient and medieval world.
Initially built by Constantine the Great, the walls surrounded the new city on all sides, protecting it against attack from both sea and land. As the city grew, the famous double line of the Theodosian Walls was built in the 5th century. Although the other sections of the walls were less elaborate, they were, when well-manned, almost impregnable for any medieval besieger.