Counts of Poitiers Palace

One could expect the entrance to the Counts of Poitiers Palace to be even more impressive! Especially when compared to the rest of the building! Nonetheless, the palace itself is one of the most impressive masterpieces of medieval architecture found in France.. Don’t hesitate to step inside and have a look! The palace recently became the property of the town and is open to public. We’ll now take a look at what happened there over the centuries. Well, we hear a lot about the Counts of Poitou and the Dukes of Aquitaine, but what exactly did Aquitaine represent?  The history of the kings of France is admittedly complicated, but it is important to note that the kingdom of Aquitaine was created following the death of Childeric II during the Merovingian era. Later, the kingdom was reconstituted by Charlemagne for his son, marking the Carolingian era.”Then, the kingdom passed from father to son until a king with no sun only a daughter. This was the famous Eleanor of Aquitaine, who married Louis VII and became Queen of France! However, she was the first queen to successfully have her marriage annulled! Imagin that! it was in the twelfth century! It hets even better as she divorced Louis only to marry Henry and become Queen of England! Richard the Lionheart was their son. Needless to say, Poitiers was the capital of a rather important duchy and it was vital to make that known! The first palace was thus built for Charlemagne’s son in the 9th century, on an ancient Roman fortification. It then became the seat of the counts of Poitou, who, at the height of their glory, successively rebuilt and enlarged it. That’s when the keep you saw behind it was added. Then Eleanor arrived and had the Great Hall built. It was designed to impress the eye and it’s still as impressive as ever! It was thought to be the largest in Europe at the time. The unique thing about it is that there is no ceiling, you can see the chestnut timber framework. The interior style is Anjou Gothic, like the cathedral, however, we shall talk about that later. This is the Pas Perdus Hall. Luc Besson chose it as the location for a scene in his film on Joan of Arc. It is truly an ideal setting. It’s easy to imagine grand banquets and receptions or courtroom debates. During the Revolution, the building became a courthouse until 2019! It has been a listed building since 1862, and you are about to experience a whole new page in its history!