Castle of Belvoir, Medieval fortress in Belvoir, France
Castle of Belvoir is a hilltop fortification in eastern France featuring stone walls, defensive towers, and a central courtyard with views across the surrounding landscape. The structure displays architectural elements from multiple periods, showing how it evolved over centuries.
Built at the end of the 12th and start of the 13th century by the founders of the Belvoir family, the castle passed to the Cusance family in the mid-14th century. After the Cusance fought for Burgundy at Nancy in 1477, Louis XI's troops burned it in 1480. Thibaut de Cusance restored it at the end of the 15th century, and Claude-François de Cusance fitted out the east wing in the early 17th century.
The castle is named after the village of Belvoir in the Doubs. Its rooms hold collections of period furniture, old paintings, arms and historical souvenirs assembled during the restoration begun by the painter Pierre Jouffroy, who bought the building in 1955. In the salon Béatrix de Cusance hangs her full-length portrait by Anton Van Dyck and his workshop.
Access to the grounds is provided through guided tours where knowledgeable guides explain the different sections and their purposes. Visitors should prepare for stairs and uneven terrain since the building sits on a hillside.
The tower called Madge-fâ, built at the end of the 15th century, keeps a lantern on its top floor held up by a crouching figure, the Madge-fâ, resting on a weeping grotesque while two mocking grotesques look on, read as the lords of Belvoir's revenge against Louis XI. The two towers are now covered with tavaillons, spruce-tile roofing.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,847 contributors worldwide.
