Origin and history
The castle of the Counts of Hainaut, located in Condé-sur-l'Escaut in the Hauts-de-France, is an emblematic monument of medieval military architecture. Built between the 12th and 13th centuries, it illustrates the transition between the Roman castles, centered on a defensive dungeon, and the Philippian fortresses, characterized by geometrical enclosures flanked by round towers. The site, strategic at the confluence of the Scheldt and the Haine, was originally erected by Nicolas d'Avesnes between 1143 and 1150, before being rebuilt in 1184 after his partial destruction by Count Baudouin V in 1174, following the assassination of the Bishop of Cambrai by Jacques d'Avesnes.
Archaeological excavations carried out since 2005 by INRAP have revealed major remains, including the substructures of the Roman dungeon (20-24 m high), a Gothic castral chapel with a trilobed bedside, and three wells dedicated to Saint Renelde, linked to a local worship of miraculous water. The castle, transformed into an arsenal by Louis XIV after the Treaty of Nijmegen (1678), lost its dungeon in 1727, but its foundations resurfaced in 2005. The 13th-century enclosure, 110 m by 90 m, with eight towers and an entrance castle, bears witness to the influence of the Philippian fortifications, while elements such as the "sabot" tower or the blue stone foothills of Tournai underline its architectural importance.
The site, classified as Historic Monument in 2006 (with the exception of the chestnut registered since 1948), is now divided between communal and private properties. Since 2008, programmed excavations, led by Lionel Droin, explore the superimposed chapels and evolution of the castle, from the novel to the Gothic. The project combines conservation, yard-school, and tourist development, with free visits and workshops for children. The rediscovery of the Sainte-Renelde well, a place of pilgrimage until the 20th century, and the remains of the lower courtyard (fours, stables) enrich the understanding of this sensitive site, formerly controlling the river traffic between Mons and Ghent.
The history of the castle is inseparable from the struggles of power in Hainaut, passed from the Counts of Flanders to the Holy Empire, then to the houses of Bavaria, Burgundy, and Habsburg, before its attachment to France under Louis XIV. The seigneury of Condé, shared between the d'Avesnes and the Counts of Hainaut, was a strategic issue, as evidenced by the partial destruction of 1174. In the 15th century, Jean d'Oetingen reorganized the Haine jump into the Scheldt, marking the end of the major transformations of the site. Today, the remains, including five Philippian towers and the foundations of the dungeon, offer a unique testimony to the evolution of castral techniques in Northern Europe.
The castle of Condé-sur-l'Escaut is also distinguished by its link with the legend of Saint Renelde, whose cult, although based on toponymic confusion (Kontich in Flanders), persisted until the 20th century. The three wells associated with the chapel, whose water was considered miraculous for eye and skin diseases, attracted pilgrims until the 1970s. The excavations also revealed a Gothic tower with a flared base, similar to that of Villers in Brussels, and traces of the primitive, hypothetical but plausible castral motte. The site, partially filled and urbanized in the 19th and 20th centuries, has been the subject of preservation projects carried out by the city and local associations since 2002.
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