Château des Montgommery

Ducey, France

The Ducey domain came into the hands of the old Norman Montgommery family in 1521 after the wedding of James Montgommery to Claude de la Boissière, the heiress to the lands of Ducey. The castle was built at the beginning of the 17th century by Gabriel II de Montgommery, one of the sons of Montgommery first who became famous for killing Henry II, king of France, by accident in a tournament on 30th June 1559. He converted to Protestantism and became one of the greatest Protestant Chiefs in the area. Gabriel caused the hatred of Catherine de Medicis and was beheaded on the Place des Grèves on 26 th June 1574. Gabriel II de Montgommery was born in 1565 an inherited the lands of Ducey. Following his father's example, he became the chief of the Protestants in the Avranches area.

Today Château des Montgommery is open to the public.

References:

Ducey Tourism

Address

Rue du Génie 7, Ducey, France

See all sites in Ducey

Details

Founded: 17th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in France

More Information

www.ducey-tourisme.com
www.normandie-tourisme.fr

Rating

4.2/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Reine K (4 years ago)
Great place.. I like it

Barbara Janiszewska (5 years ago)
Lovely old castle.

Lewis Matthews (5 years ago)
Not a lot to see in terms of the building as it's got a big focus on the murder mystery. Still worth a visit. Staff are friendly and there's lots of history to the place.

stylawood (5 years ago)
Lovely little chateau, however you're not allowed in.

guillaume foucaut (5 years ago)
Très beau cadre parc agréable avec des possibilités de s assoir et de lire

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Photo from Flickr, copyright Staffan O Andersson

Historic Site of the week

Gamla Uppsala Church

The stone church of Gamla Uppsala, built over the pagan temple, dates from the early 12th century. Due to fire and renovations, the present church is only a remnant of the original cathedral.

Before the arrival of Christianity in Sweden, Gamla Uppsala was the seat of Swedish kings and a ceremonial site known all over northern Europe. The settlement was home to royal palaces, a royal burial ground, and a great pagan temple. The Uppsala temple, which was described in detail by Adam of Bremen in the 1070s, housed wooden statues of the Norse gods Odin, Thor and Freyr. A golden chain hung across its gables and the inside was richly decorated with gold. The temple had priests, who sacrificed to the gods according to the needs of the people.

The first Christian cathedral was probably built in the 11th century, but finished in the 12th century. The stone building may have been preceded by a wooden church and probably by the large pagan temple.