So what? Medieval or not? Nineteenth-century "folly" and fairytale castle or architectural museum of the Middle Ages?
What if it was all of these?
The Castle of Pierrefonds, built in the 14th century by Louis d'Orléans, brother of the mad king Charles VI, and restored/reconstructed by Eugène Viollet le Duc, never ceases to fire the imagination.
Come and discover this massive château, witness to the power of the Valois, Napoleon III and the Romantic spirit of the 19th century!
Built by Charles V to protect the capital but also to guarantee the kings against its uprisings, the castle of Vincennes astonishes: medieval fortress? Renaissance?
And why does this Sainte Chapelle look so much like the one in Paris?
It is a witness of the royal power of France until Louis XIV left for Versailles, of which it is a draft, a prototype. But it was also a prison, where Fouquet, Mirabeau and the Marquis de Sade were locked up, a barracks, an arsenal, and its old stones saw many dramas unfold.
The visit includes only the courtyard, the dungeon and the Sainte Chapelle. The other buildings now house the Historical Archives Center, one of the three centers of the Historical Service of Defense, and are therefore not open to the public.
Founded in the 11th century by King Robert the Pious, today it features a variety of styles, ranging from late Romanesque to early Gothic (12th century), as well as flamboyant Gothic and even neo-Gothic, due to numerous restorations in the 19th century.
It is best known for hosting the baptism of the future Louis IX (Saint Louis) on April 25, 1214, a few days after his birth in the nearby castle in Poissy. The baptismal font from that period is still preserved there.
A major site in French history, it is a remarkable work of art and architecture due to its very heterogeneity. This astonishing church with its two bell towers and offset choir leaves no visitor indifferent.
The Basilica and Cathedral of Saint Denis, at the gates of Paris, is the inevitable place where the art known since the Renaissance as Gothic art was born. Over the centuries, the former abbey-church has been enriched by the Carolingian, Romanesque and therefore Gothic styles, that of the early times, but also by the apogee of this radiant art.
But Saint Denis is also, and even more importantly, the Necropolis of the Kings of France. From the tomb of Saint Denis to that of Louis XVIII, and also evoking those who, for various reasons, were not buried there, nearly 2000 years of French History are told.
Great History, annecdotes, false ideas, the whole of France is told here. Don\'t miss this visit!
