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Notre-Dame-de-Gravenchon
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Founded: 11th centuryCategory: Miscellaneous historic sites in France
Historical period: Birth of Capetian dynasty (France)
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Fontaine Saint-Denis was a former castle of the count of Evreux, of which the walls have been restored. The first wooden castle was burnt down in 1024. The new stone castle was also destroyed by fire in the 15th century. Medieval tower with viewpoint dominating the Seine Valley and pathway around walls with drawbridge. Inside the walls, remnants of wood store and old chapel. At the foot of the site, an old wash house has been completely restored.
References:Sigmaringen Castle was first mentioned in the year 1077 in the chronicles of Petershausen monastery. The oldest parts of the castle are concealed beneath the alterations made during the 17th and the 19th centuries. The secret of the earliest settlement built on this defendable rock will never be fully revealed: large-scale excavation work would be necessary, which the extensive land development renders impossible. Judging from the many Roman remains unearthed in the area around Sigmaringen, the 12th century keep known as the 'Roman Tower' could be traced back to a Roman predecessor.
The castle remains that have been preserved (gate, great hall and keep) date back to the Staufer period around 1200. The castle remains were integrated into subsequent buildings. The foundations of the castle buildings are to a large extent identical to the surrounding castle wall.
These remains give us a good idea of how the castle might have looked during the 12th century.