Heraldic collection - a photo on Flickriver

            Blazonries of some of the owner familes of Château de Fontaine-Henry in the castle’s entrance hall, Fontaine-Henry, Normandy, France

I stitched this picture from two photos which I had taken from these crests. Actually all the blazons of the castle’s owner families are arranged in a chronologic row on a wall in the entrance hall.

By the way, unfortunately the entrance hall is the only room of the castle, where visitors are allowed to take photos.

Some background information:

Château de Fontaine-Henry is a Renaissance castle in the French village of Fontaine-Henry in the Norman department of Calvados.  It is located about 13 km (8 miles) to the northwest of the city of Caen and about 6 km (4 miles) to the south of the seaside town of Courseulles-sur-Mer. The castle is situated hillside in a landscaped garden with a beautiful view of the river Meu.

The château was built at the begjnning of the 11th century as a medieval stronghold. Ever since it is family-owned and hence was never sold. But as Château de Fontaine-Henry was sometimes handed on to women, the family in possession of the castle occasionally changed. By inheritance the property was owned by the noble families Tilly, Harcourt, Morais, Boutier de Château d’Assy, Montécler, Marguerie, Carbonnel, Cornulier and Oilliamson, in that order.

It was still the first owner family Tilly, who had the first massive stronghold replaced by a more livable castle between 1200 and 1220. The castle chapel and the underground vault which used to be the main floor at that time still date from that period. 

Nowadays the chapel from the 13th century is abandoned, which means that it is out of use as an ecclesiastical building. However it is still very picturesque and interesting. Some of its building stones are inscribed with crosses and it is believed that they were etched in the stones by a 13th century lord of the castle as a reminiscence of his participation in a crusade.

In 1374, Jeanne de Tilly married Philippe d’Harcourt and passed the estate on to him as her marriage-portion. During the Hundred Years' War (from 1337 to 1453) the castle was destroyed, but after the end of the war, the family d’Harcourt started with its rebuilding in the Gothic style. The construction works extended from the end of the 15th century until around 1560. During these decades the Gothic style made way for the French Flamboyant style and later for the early Renaissance style. The castle’s today appearance represents all these styles, although the Renaissance style is definitely predominant, Thus Château de Fontaine-Henry is one of most beautiful Renaissance-style palaces throughout Normandy.

The castle’s architecture is dominated by its northern wing with the impressive chimney and the 15 metres high roof, which ranks among the highest roofs throughout France. The interior houses a great collection of paintings, including paintings from Mignard, Rubens, Corregio and Tizian. Since 1924 both castle and chapel are classified as a national historic monument. Every summer the castle is open to the public on two days a week. A visit is highly recommended.

Today’s lord of the castle is marquis Pierre Apollinaire d'Oilliamson, who still occupies the house and welcomes all visitors himself.  His family name is of Scottish origin and means Williamson in the English spelling. The Williamsons are members of the Scottish Clan Gunn. In the 15th century they used to live in the Ross and Cromarty area in the Highlands. In 1495, Thomas Williamson, an ancestor of the current owner of the castle, went from Scotland to Normandy to become an archer in the Scottish Guard of the French King Charles VIII, who was an ally of the Scottish royal dynasty Stuart. In the years that followed, the family was ennobled due to their royalism and in the course of the centuries many Williamsons served in the French army, most of them as officers in command.

Taken in: France / Basse-Normandie / Fontaine-Henry (show map)

Taken on: August 31, 2016

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2016 « less

Sets appears in: • France: Basse-Normandie, Brittany and Reims 2016 • Castles, Palaces and Mansions

Groups appears in: • Castles - Castillos • France more » • France image • Castles of Europe • Normandy, Normandie • Palaces, Castles, Towers, Pagodas, Fortresses And Ruins of Old • European Vacation • Castles from the world. • Burgen, Schlösser und Ruinen (castles) • European Castles • Stately Homes, Palaces and Castles • Regions of France / La France des Régions • * Images de France * (France-Corse-DOM-TOM-COM) • Castles,Palaces,Manor houses,Cottages - Post 1 Award 2 / Sweeper • ANTICANDO!!!(P2/Aw3)Please,only Subject ANCIENT • "History & Antiquities (Post 5 - Award 3)" • Décor architectural *(Post 1 - Comment 1)* • Historical and architectural gems • Baugeschichte "History of Architecture" • Strictly GeoTagged (no 30/60 limit) • Normandy Landscapes • The concept is Europe • Flickr Normandie • A. LOST WORLD « less

Camera: Canon PowerShot SX20 IS, f/4.0, 1/20 sec, 13mm, ISO 640 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon PowerShot SX20 IS
Lens:	5.0-100.0 mm
Aperture:	f/4.0
Exposure Time:	0.05 sec (1/20)
Focal Length:	13mm
ISO:	640
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CS6 (Windows)
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