The Château de Robert-le-Diable is a French feudal castle from the time of the Dukes of Normandy. It is more properly, though less commonly, known as the Château de Moulineaux. It is situated at Moulineaux, near Rouen, in the département of Seine-Maritime at the side of the A13 autoroute.
It takes its name from Robert the Devil who, according to some, was Robert de Montgommery, also known as Robert le Magnifique (‘the magnificent’), Duke of Normandy and father of William the Conqueror. However, there is no evidence that this person was involved in the construction .
The castle was built during the 11th and 12th centuries. It stands on a hill which dominates the River Seine, the view extending over the whole Rouen region, making it a particularly strategic location.
It is known that the English King Richard I (‘Lionheart’) stayed here. His brother, King John (‘Lackland’) destroyed the castle during his struggle with the King of France Philippe Auguste. The latter rebuilt it. During the Hundred Years War, the people of Rouen destroyed the towers to prevent the castle being used by the English.
Half ruined, it is today furnished with various artefacts as well as reconstructed scenes of local history and life in the Middle Ages. The castle is listed as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture.
Wikipedia
It used to be open to the public, but when I was there last year, it was locked up tight with the grounds looking very wild.
ruins, france, moulineaux, ch teau de robert le diable, normany, robert the devil
Bermuda born so I occasionally get “rock fever” and have to travel – especially to France! Mostly use my Nikon D200, but also use a Sony Cybershot DSC T90 and a Lumix DMC-LX5 for quick shots.
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Such a pity you found the castle locked up and overgrown like this on your visit Triciamary, so much history in those walls and surely it would be a very popular historic visiting centre, very well captured and your well documented notes on the castle’s history make compulsive reading,
Regards, Rod.
Thanks Rod. Yes, it was disappointing to find it closed. My friend lives near there and was also surprised as it is such a historic site. The view of the valley and the Seine from that area is fantastic.
– triciamary
Outstanding shot and brilliant information. Thankyou so much for sharing that with us. I love the rustic nature of your cature and can truely step back in time through your image. Great work.
Thanks for your wonderful comments. I love exploring old castles and towers, so I was disappointed we were unable to get inside. However, there is a monument nearby overlooking the Seine which was worth the visit.
– triciamary
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