CHÂTEAU DE BOURLÉMONT

On the heights of the village of Frebécourt, the castle of Bourlemont catches the eye. From this promontory anchored in the landscape of the western Vosges, it dominates the valley of the Meuse in which the surrounding villages, the Basilica of Sainte-Jeanne d'Arc and the numerous forests of the surroundings are contemplated.

Since its origin, which dates back to the 12th century, it has been transformed and enlarged over the centuries. From a quadrilateral of modest size, it underwent the first enlargement works during the 13th century with the construction of its imposing round towers. The end of the 14th century and the beginning of the 15th century saw the appearance of its two-storey dwelling overlooking the courtyard, the creation of its south wing and the construction of its chapel. In the 19th and 20th centuries, work was carried out to transform it into a château d'agréments and to design the park and gardens that surround it to make it the current estate: the whole of this natural setting was the work of two great landscape architects, Paul de Lavenne de Choulot and Achille Duchêne.

During its 900 years of history, the castle was owned by only three families: the Bourlemonts, owners from the 12th century until the end of the 14th century, were followed by the d'Anglure family until the 18th century (1732). In 1770, the d'Alsace family bought back the estate, which had been abandoned for almost 40 years.

An essential part of the building and listed in the Inventaire Supplémentaire des Monuments Historiques, the Bourlemont castle chapel is dedicated to Saint Vincent. Built in the 15th century and then rebuilt in the 16th century, it houses a rich religious heritage, including an altar dating from the Middle Ages, a remarkable 16th century sepulchre and a statuary which testifies to the religious art of Lorraine in the 16th century. In this chapel are kept the funerary monuments of the Anglure and Alsace families, whose descendants have been buried there since 1770.

DATAtourisme France