Château de Monceau-sur-Sambre

Geschiedenis

The Castle of Monceau-sur-Sambre is a medieval Château located in Monceau-sur-Sambre, a commune near the town of Charleroi, in the province of Hainaut, Belgium.HistoryPlanted in a large English-designed park and formerly surrounded by moats, the tall majestic building is flanked by circular towers at the corners. The castle is constructed of brick, limestone and stone in the 17th and 18th centuries. Underneath the foundation lies the same body materials for an older building.Contrary to popular stories, André Le Nôtre did not create gardens in Belgium and Louis XIV probably did not visit the Castle of Monceau-sur-Sambre.Mentioned in the 14th century as a fortress century, the fortress belonged to Otto IV Trazegnies (± 1300- ± 1384) who let his mother Jeanne Heppignies live within the castle walls.In 1443, Anne de Trazegnies, the heiress to the House of Trazegnies, inherited the property after the death of her brother John. The property was merged into the holdijngs of her husband Arnould de Hamal. Around 1510, Jean Hamal modernized the house with an additional chapel construct, an act inspired by urging of his wife. The oldest existing relics in cellars and basements in the eastern wing come from that time. In the second half of the sixteenth century, the castle was left in ruin by French troops. Guillaume Hamal rebuilt the castle in 1607. In 1651, Anne-Florence Hamal, the heiress of Monceau, became the second wife of marquis Pierre-Eugene de Gavre. She was first married Philippe de Hamal, Baron Vierves.