monument historique
Which site was the heritage designation of Keep of Pons from Oct 1879 to Jun 1991?
Keep of Pons The Keep of Pons ( French : Donjon de Pons ) is an 830-year-old fortified tower located in Pons , France and is one of the few remnants of the original castle of Pons . The keep is located near the chapel and porch of Saint Gilles and remains of the ramparts . On a hill and visible from a distance , this edifice is used as the symbol of the city . History . Built on the site of an oppidum , the castle of Pons was an important medieval stronghold due to its location as a hub of roads including those for the pilgrims of Saint James . The location and relatively high and defensible elevation made the Pons castrum a particularly coveted fortress . It belonged to the lord of Aulnay , Charente-Maritime , to the dukes of Aquitaine , then to the lords of Pons . The original keep was at destroyed in 1136 by the Count of Poitou . Razed in 1179 by the Duke of Aquitaine Richard Lionheart following a revolt of his vassal , the castle was rebuilt in 1187 by Geoffroy III de Pons with the addition of the imposing quadrangular Keep of Pons , partially over of the foundations of the original , smaller keep and partially over new foundations . Based on the chapel facade , it is believed that the chapel was also rebuilt during this period . The castle was again destroyed in 1622 ( with the exception of the keep and some defensive elements ) by the armies of Louis XIII following the siege of 1621 . A few years later , Marshal Caesar Phoebus dAlbret had the current main building erected . Despite its cold appearance , several rooms within the Keep have comfortable interior with wooden ceilings and mounted canvas decorated with allegorical figures . The base of the ramparts has been partially preserved , and forms a walk from which one can enjoy a panoramic view of the Seugne valley . Caesar Phoebus dAlbret , Sire de Pons , ordered the construction of the monumental staircase which connects the upper city to the lower city . The buildings and vestiges of the medieval castle were bought in 1806 by the municipality . Only the Castral Chapel and the Saint-Gilles porch , the Keep and the ramparts on the cliffs are the remains of the medieval fortress . The municipality set up the esplanade in the public garden and repurposed the main building as the town hall . The keep was classified as a national heritage site ( monument historique ) in 1879 . The facades and roofs of the Town Hall , as well as the arches serving as the base of the building were designated as monuments in 1991 . The two painted ceilings of the 17th century , the first located on the ground floor of the South Tower , the second in the great hall of the ground floor were also designated national heritage pieces the following year ( 1992 ) . Archeology digs continue to reveal more information about the approximate size of the original castle as well as additional structures that were once present . Architecture . Keep . The Keep of Pons is a model of a Romanesque palace keep in western France . Its stone walls have a thickness of 2.5 meters on three of its sides and 4.40 meters thick on the north side . From a height of 33 meters it has a base of 26.45 meters by 15.25 meters . The interior had three levels . Until 1904 , the keep was crowned with an entablature pierced with battlements . In 1904 , Émile Combes added fancy machicolation and telescopic corner watchtowers equipped with loopholes , based on an engraving found at the Keep of Tonnay-Boutonne . The works were financed by the sale of a chimney that is now at Château dUsson . Originally , the entrance to the Keep , located on the north face , allowed access to the first floor using a wooden staircase . As with the Tower of London keep , the staircase could be destroyed or dismounted in case of an attack . Today access is via a stone spiral staircase . The first floor has a vast room , lit up on the south side by two paired windows enclosed by two semicircular openings . All other openings were later drilled into the walls according to the uses of the building . A narrow spiral staircases housed in the thickness of the walls allows for movements within the keep . The view from the terrace of the building extends over the entire city and the wide valley of the Seugne . Main building . The long feudal dynasty of the Lords of Pons ended in 1586 with Antoine , the last male heir . By the marriage of his daughter Antoinette , the lordship passed to a collateral line of Albret . Starting in 1630 , Henri the first of Albret built a long and banal manor , in line with the feudal ruins and the old rampart . In 1652 , César Phébus dAlbret , heir to the third generation , modified the manor by extending the building into a larger , two-story structure on vaulted cellars . However , in 1816 , the poorly maintained central part of the manor was demolished . The south facade of the manor advances over the cliff through an arcade gallery , a creation of Marie dAlbret , the daughter of César Phébus dAlbret , and completed after 1660 . From the public garden terrace , there remains the visible foundations of the medieval castle . Two ceilings of the building are classified as historical monuments . The first , called Oratory , located in a small room on the ground floor of the square tower , is decorated with allegorical paintings , framed by wooden moldings . The central panel , circular , shows Venus on a chariot pulled by doves . On the corner panels are represented cherubs . The second , located in a lower room of the central part , is a wooden ceiling , consisting of Louis XIII style molded panels . Garden of Pons Castle . The public garden was first developed in 1665 in the square of the old fortress , after having been leveled and cleared of the old military material . The garden was inspired by Le Nôtre and a watercolor of 1714 shows the layout of the garden with the squares of the parterres cut diagonally by alleys . Towards the end of the 19th century , a large fountain was added and the garden was redone , this time without any reference to the classical period . An urban park was planted on terraces on the old ramparts and offers scenic views over the meandering valley of the Seugne . Two monuments give access to the upper public garden on the terraces , the spiral staircase of an old turret defense , which is a remnant of the castle destroyed in 1622 , and the Grand Escalier ( great staircase ) of César Phoebus dAlbret , which was designed in 1665 . The latter has five flights punctuated by six levels and connects the upper gardens to those made at the foot of the ramparts and the Seugne . It allows visitors to see the ancient medieval wall of the twelfth century and the terrace built in 1630 on the cliff . These 17th century stairs , were built by Lord of Pons , Pierre Dugua following his return from his renown explorations and settlements in New France ( modern-day Canada ) . At the end other end of the public garden stands the Saint-Gilles chapel of the castle and the reconstructed facade of a Renaissance house . The Porte Saint-Gilles which constituted the entrance of the castle is located under the chapel . Visits . The Romanesque collection is open to the public and includes the keep , the Saint-Gilles gate , the Saint-Gilles chapel ( which houses an archaeological museum ) , the pilgrim hospital and its medicinal garden , the Saint-Vivien church , and the nearby houses . The site also hosts conferences and exhibitions of historical significance .