Château d'Olonde, Historical castle in Canville-la-Rocque, France.
Château d'Olonde is a castle in Canville-la-Rocque containing remnants from the 12th century, including two square towers rebuilt in the early 16th century and a main building from the 18th century. The property shows these different building periods layered across the site, revealing how the castle evolved over time.
The castle was built in the 11th century but was destroyed by King Philip II of France in the early 1200s during his conquest of Normandy. This destruction marked the end of its role as a regional fortress.
The castle served as the setting for Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly's 1882 novel 'Une histoire sans nom' and remains connected to 19th-century French literature. Visitors can sense this literary past while walking through the grounds where the story took shape.
The castle grounds are open to visitors and located near Canville-la-Rocque, just west of Saint-Malo Church. You can walk freely around the property to explore the remains at your own pace.
The site preserves a rare medieval motte-and-bailey structure, the earthen fortification type common in early medieval England and Normandy. Archaeologists discovered two additional mottes nearby in the 1980s, revealing how strategically important this landscape once was.
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