Carondelet Castle

Carondelet Castle lies in the village of Crupet, in the province of Namur in the Wallonia region in Belgium.

Carondelet Castle dates back to the 11th or 12th century. It now stands in a little lake and is connected to its bailey by a stone arched bridge.

In 1315, the seigniory was already very important and had the right to serve justice and depended on Liège. It was owned by the Crupet family until 1510 after which it passed on to the Carondelet family. In 1667 it passed, by marriage, into the hands of the Mérode family who kept it until the French Revolution.

The name of the Carondelet family stuck to the castle and their coat of arms can be seen above the entrance in the gate tower.

It is a squat keep with 3 floors built out of limestone and would originally have been equipped with battlements and a wall walk. It was transformed into a castle farm in the 16th century. Several elements were added; the stair tower on its corner, an extra floor with a new roof and Renaissance style windows. You can however still see a projecting latrine on the south side of the keep and several loopholes.

The entry to the bailey is through a gate tower which was equipped with a drawbridge until the 18th century.

It was restored in 1925 by the architect Blomme and is now owned by the Limbosch family. This means that it is private property, so access is prohibited. But you can make a nice circular walk around the small valley.

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