The former Ducal Palace of Fécamp !!

Again on my road warrior mode, we set out to new territories ! Well not per se but this time we were in town and saw many things which will share over the coming posts in my blog, We first came to Fécamp, and it was a blast !! We will be back for more for sure, eventually, As you know there is so much to see in my belle France, We moved from the abbey to the Ducal Palace of Fécamp, Therefore, let me tell you a bit about the Château de Fécamp or Ducal Palace !! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

Fecamp palais ducal front ruins aug23

Fécamp is located in the Seine-Maritime department 76 in the Normandy region of my belle France. Just me, just a reminder ok.  The Château de Fécamp or Ducal Palace is an ancient fortified castle built on a mound, from the 10C, today in ruins, the remains of which stand in Fécamp. The ruins are located across from the abbey church of the Trinity (see posts)

Fécamp was an early place of residence favored by the first dukes of Normandy, perhaps as early as Guillaume Longue-Épée and certainly with his successors Richard I and Richard II who still have their burial in the abbey church of the Trinity, The place was abandoned in favor of Caen with William the Conqueror and Robert the Magnificent, and not mentioned again after 1162.  The excavations carried out made it possible to recognize certain elements of the construction plan, as well as the existence of two phases in it, a wooden construction then a stone construction having rested on the rampart in the 11C. The palisade enclosure, taken up again under Richard II at the beginning of the 11C, must have had at least one rectangular flanking tower, also made of wood. The castle belonged to a set including the constructions of the abbey. In the 12C, a square keep, of which there are no more traces, consolidated the construction. The castle is only visible from the outside, just opposite the abbey of the Trinity.

These high sections of wall recall the epic tale of the Dukes of Normandy since the 10C and their concern to restore the devastation caused by the incursions of their Viking ancestors. Within the enclosure of the Fort, which covered 10 hectares, the Dukes of Normandy built a palace and a monastery. In 1001 they called monks from Cluny under the direction of Guillaume de Volpiano to establish the benefits of the rule of Saint-Benoît. The abbey of Sainte-Trinité-de-Fécamp was in the Middle Ages an essential center of civilization for all of Normandy. It is around this Fort and the Abbey that the medieval city wraps itself, of which many vestiges still remain, despite the destruction suffered during the Wars of Religion, then following the French revolution, and again now due to negligence or lack of interest. The city of Fécamp is now responsible for its conservation.

Fecamp palais ducal front angle ruins aug23

The Fécamp tourist office on the Ducal Palace : https://en.fecamptourisme.com/offers/palais-ducal-fecamp-en-3758744/

The Seine Maritime dept 76 tourist office on the Ducal Palace : https://www.seine-maritime-tourisme.com/diffusio/en/i-choose/an-attraction/chateaux-and-historic-buildings/fecamp/palais-ducal_TFOPCUNOR076V513ZVK.php

There you go folks, a hugely must to visit in Fécamp , We moved across the street from the abbey to the Ducal Palace of Fécamp !!. Again, hope you enjoy the post as I

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!

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