blaaargh:
The château de Craon, also known as the château d’Haroué or palais d’Haroué is a French château located in a small valley in the centre of the village of Haroué, in the Saintois, in the département of Meurthe-et-Moselle and the région of Lorraine. It was built between 1720 and 1732 by Germain Boffrand during the period when Lorraine was independent of France, for Marc de Beauvau-Craon, viceroy of Tuscany and constable of Lorraine.
Surprisingly, the architect had to integrate into his plans the four towers and moat of an older medieval château, a consideration for medieval buildings which was unusual for the classicist period. Le château’s design also symbolises a year :
- 365 windows,
- 52 fireplaces,
- 12 towers (several included in the buildings),
- 4 bridges crossing the moat.
The decoration was largely entrusted to artists from Lorraine : Jean Lamour (1698-1771) for the gates, balconies and staircases, Pillement (1698-1771) for the painted decoartion of one of the towers, Barthélemy Guibal (1699-1757), sculptor of the fountains of place Stanislas at Nancy, for the statuary. The park “à la française” was designed by Emilio Terry.