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Origin and history

The castle of the Counts of Hainaut, located in Condé-sur-l'Escaut in the Hauts-de-France, is a medieval building dating back to the 12th century. Built between 1143 and 1150 by Nicolas d'Avesnes, local lord, it rises to the confluence of the Haine and the Escaut, a strategic site already used by the Normans in 885-886. This Romanesque castle, with a dungeon of 20 to 24 meters and a fortified shirt, illustrates the castral policy of Hainaut County, then expanding under the impulse of the lords of Avesnes and Count Baudouin IV.

Archaeological excavations conducted in 2005 by INRAP revealed the substructions of the Romanesque castle, including a castral chapel, a well dedicated to Saint Renelde, and elements of the shirt. These discoveries confirm that the site was a castral architecture model, combining natural defense (rivers) and human fortifications. In the 13th century, the castle evolved into a "philippian" gothic style, with an enclosure flanked by round towers, an entrance chestnut, and a master tower gradually replacing the Roman dungeon as the ultimate refuge.

The château changed hands several times: from the Avesnes to the Counts of Hainaut in 1184, then to the Châtillon (1225) and the Bourbon (1335), it was finally assigned to Louis XIV in 1682 after the Treaty of Nijmegen. Turned into an arsenal, his dungeon was damaged in 1727, leaving only Gothic remains, like five Philippian towers still visible today. Recent excavations also revealed a second Gothic chapel, oriented and decorated with glazed ceramics, as well as three wells associated with the cult of Saint Renelde, revealing an unsuspected religious and military heritage.

The castral site of Condé-sur-l'Escaut thus embodies the architectural evolution of the castles, from the Romanesque to the Gothic, while playing a key role in the history of Hainaut, marked by conflicts between local lords (such as the assassination of the Bishop of Cambrai in 1174) and the strategic stakes linked to the control of riverways. Today, archaeological excavations continue, and the entrance châtelet houses housing, while development projects are carried out by local associations.

The water of the wells of Condé, known as miraculous until the 19th century to treat eye diseases, also bears witness to the symbolic importance of the site. Although the confusion with Saint Renelde (original from Kontich in Flanders) is a historical mistake, it illustrates the persistence of local legends. Today's remains, which have been listed as historical monuments since 1948, offer a unique overview of the haunted castral history, between medieval heritage and modern adaptations.

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