Château de Gisors
It is also known for its links with the Templars. Put into their charge by the French king between 1158 and 1160, it became the final prison of the Grand Master of the Order, Jacques de Molay, in 1314.
Jacques de Molay (c. 1240/1250 – March 1314[1]) was the 23rd and last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, leading the Order from 20 April 1292 until it was dissolved by order of Pope Clement V in 1312.[2] Though little is known of his actual life and deeds except for his last years as Grand Master, he is the best known Templar, along with the Order's founder and first Grand Master, Hugues de Payens (1070–1136). Jacques de Molay's goal as Grand Master was to reform the Order, and adjust it to the situation in the Holy Land during the waning days of the Crusades. As European support for the Crusades had dwindled, other forces were at work which sought to disband the Order and claim the wealth of the Templars as their own. King Philip IV of France, deeply in debt to the Templars, had de Molay and many other French Templars arrested in 1307 and tortured into making false confessions. When de Molay later retracted his confession, Philip had him burned at the stake on an island in the River Seine in Paris, in March 1314. The sudden end of both the centuries-old order of Templars, and the dramatic execution of its last leader, turned de Molay into a legendary figure. The fraternal order of Freemasonry has also drawn upon the Templar mystique for its own rituals and lore, and today there are many modern organizations which draw their inspiration from the memory of de Molay.
Jacques de Molay
Olden times are times of peril and evil during the dark ages. When in debt, lesson here, kill the creditors, discredit them, burn them in public, just like people nowadays, borrow from Ah Long today, report police after receiving the money! How convenient.
The first building work is dated to about 1095, and consisted of a motte, which was enclosed in a spacious courtyard or bailey. Henry I of England, Duke of Normandy,
added an octagonal stone keep to the motte. After 1161, important
reinforcement work saw this keep raised and augmented; the wooden
palisade of the motte converted to stone, thus forming a chemise; and the outer wall of the bailey was completed in stone with flanking towers. A second keep, cylindrical in shape, called the Prisoner's Tower (tour du prisonnier), was added to the outer wall of the castle at the start of the 13th century, following the French conquest of Normandy. Further reinforcement was added during the Hundred Years' War. In the 16th century, earthen ramparts were built.
Gotten here on my way from Paris to Calais for the Ferry over to Dover.
What is shocking for us, as we were looking for prawns for dinner cooking....is this! 89 Euros a kilo for live prawns! This town is not too far from the sea, not to mention that added more into our shock.
St-Gervais-St-Protais church was built between 1542 and 1590. In it, there are a lot of art done around that time.
Painting of about 16th century mural on the walls of the interior of the church stood quite clearly over the last 5 centuries and survived 2 major world wars. This is the mural depicted the european interpretation of the Mount of Transfiguration of Christ. It is normal to see paintings during that period to depict the figures in the bible dressed in European garbs and clothing, a testament to the fact that most people have very little information of the lifestyle, habits and customs of the Judea during that era.
The church in a commanding position on the main road leading to the Chateau, surrounded by old Tudor type houses and newer pre-war, Georgian and Parisian architecture, influence from 65km due south.