CASTLE OF BLANDY-LES-TOURS
BLANDY-LES-TOURS
Dominating the Valley of Ancoeur and the rich countryside
of Brie, one sees the octagonal fort of the castle of Blandy-
Les-Tours. This powerful fortress that is rich with its
defensive past, flanked of its village, of its Saint Maurice
church, its medieval lanes, represents the reassuring and
majestic strong castle, image that is dear to childhood...
The time of the fortress castles
The FORTRESS CASTLE of Blandy-les-Tours counts among the
last witnesses of the military architecture of the XIVth
century preserved in Ile-de France . 
The name of Blandy (Blandiacum) is of Gallo-Roman origin
and indicates that a habitat of this time could already
exist in this place. Many vestiges (sarcophagi, necropoles...)
discovered at the time of the archaeological excavations
undertaken on the site, show that a merovingian habitat
would have taken the continuation of it. From the XIIIth
and XIVth centuries, a manor is set up, that is a property
of the Viscounts of Melun. Little by little, the manor,
with the assistance of kings of France and in particular
of Charles V and Charles VI, is strengthened: a ditch is
dug, tower-carrier and a drawbridge is built, dungeon of
39 meters is raised... Blandy quickly becomes a model of
fortrees castle. Since the end of the 100 year old war to
1707, the castle loses its military functions and becomes
one of the preferred residences of the family of Orleans-Longueville
to become, in the XVlllth century the property of the Marshal
of Villars who decides to dismantle it and transforms it
into a farm.
In 1883, the castle is saved by the municipality then becomes
the property of the General Council in 1992. Great works
of restoration and installations Began then: the curtains,
the towers and their roofs found their splendour of yesteryear.
The visit allows, inter alia, to discover "the Thick
Tower" which offers,from the top of its 39 meters,
a panoramic sight on the unit of the castle, on the plain
of Brie, the village and its surroundings.
On the traces of the knights
EACH SUNDAY after midday, throughout the summer (in July/August),
and during the days of the Inheritance, the workshops of
weaving, realization of stained glass and coats of mail
are organized in order to make discover to all, kids and
grown-up, the world of the valiant knights and the everyday
life at the Midle Age.
The booklet of the Novel of Fox
A VERY NEW BOOKLET, distributed for free at the entry of
the castle, is addressed to the children between 8 and 12
years. Presented in the form of a comic strip evoking an
episode of the Novel of Fox and plays, it proposes a discovery
of the Middle Age, medieval architectural heritage of Blandy
the Tours as well as an approach of the environment discovery
. The castle is open everyday except Wednesday from April
to the end of October from 10am to 13pm and 14pm to18pm
(at19pm in weekends and public holidays) and in winter only
in the weekends and public holidays from 10am to 13pm and
14pm to 17.30pm.
Detour by the collegiate of Saint
Martin de Champeaux
The PROSPERITY OF the CANONS allowed the construction of
a church with remarkable architectural qualities. The oldest
parts of the building, like the transept, go up to the first
half of the XIIth century and the remainder of the church
illustrates the principal stages of the radiant Gothic architecture.
The unit, completed at the beginning of the XIVth century,
reached us practically complete, enriched in the Renaissance
by very beautiful stalls.
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