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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Hierges, also known as the "Castle of Jerusalem", is a castle built on a rocky spur overlooking the Joncquière valley, near the Franco-Belgian border in the Ardennes department. Its origins date back to a 9th century castrum, later integrated into the property of the house of Ardenne in the 10th century. At the time of the Crusades, the fortress was attached to the principality of Liège. The strategic site controlled the trade route between Saint Quentin and Cologne, as well as the Meuse Valley. The present castle, partially in ruins, preserves defensive elements from the 13th to 16th centuries, such as round towers in red brick and blue stone, adapted to firearms.

Destroyed almost entirely in the 16th century, the castle was rebuilt from 1560 in a Renaissance style, incorporating artillery openings and comfort facilities. In the 18th century, a common and a dovecote were added. During the French Revolution, the castle was attacked in 1792 by the revolutionaries and then ravaged by a fire in 1793. Today, there are still walls of enclosure, three partially ruined flanking towers, and a fourth semicircular tower inhabited by the current owner. The gardens were restored to their Renaissance appearance.

The local legend attributes the building of the castle in one night to the fairy Melusine, with its 365 windows. Another legend tells that three rocks near the Meuse, called the Ladies of Meuse, are the unfaithful wives of knights of Hierges, petrified by divine anger during the first crusade. These stories intertwine with the real history of the castle, marked by medieval conflicts and architectural transformations.

Mélusine de Hierges, also called Sybille de Lusignan, is a central figure in local legends. A direct descendant of the fairy Melusine, she was a chestnut of Hierges and Samson, and was allegedly involved in fighting to defend him. Daughter of Manassès de Hierges, a crusader, she married Guy de Lusignan and died of the plague in 1190 in front of Saint-Jean-d-Acre or in 1187 in Samson. His father, Manassès, illustrated during the crusades, strengthening the link between the seigneury of Hierges and the expeditions to the Holy Land.

Ranked a historic monument in 1980, the castle of Hierges remains a private property. Its remains, mixing medieval architecture and Renaissance, testify to its strategic role in regional history, between commercial control, feudal conflicts and fantastic legends. The towers' mouths, arranged for crossfire, recall its adaptation to the wars of the modern era, while the windows at cross or cross evoke its evolution towards residential comfort.

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