Château d'Ardennes, Medieval castle in Fléac-sur-Seugne, France.
Château d'Ardennes is a former moated castle in Fléac-sur-Seugne, built on a near-circular plan with a three-wing corps de logis around a rectangular courtyard. A rectangular gate tower with a hipped slate roof and a round-arched gateway, carved with the date 1711 on the courtyard side, is crossed by a wooden bridge over the dry moat. The walls are of dressed sandstone below and rendered limestone above, and the south-east wing holds a monumental balustered staircase.
A small castle was probably built in the 12th century by the Templars; after the order was dissolved in 1312 it passed to the Knights of Saint John, then by the early 15th century to the de Balodes family, documented as owners in 1420, who enlarged and rebuilt it as a residence. Pierre Dugua de Mons, founder of the first permanent settlement in New France, bought it in 1618 and died there on 22 February 1628. It stayed with the Pandin de Lussaudière family until the 1970s.
The castle is a lieu de mémoire of New France: Pierre Dugua de Mons, founder of the first permanent settlement in Acadia and governor of Pons from 1610 to 1618, bought it around 1618 and died here on 22 February 1628. He was buried under a large tree in front of the castle entrance. His widow Judith Chesnel took the title of dowager of Ardennes.
The castle is private property and can only be viewed from outside along public pathways. Visitors can photograph and examine the outer facade, towers, and structure of the building while walking around the grounds.
Pierre Dugua de Mons, founder of the first permanent French settlement in New France, died at Ardennes on 22 February 1628 and was buried under a large tree in front of the castle entrance. The wooden bridge still crosses the dry moat where the drawbridge once stood, and the date 1711 is carved into the courtyard side of the gate arch.
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