Exploring Château Marouatte: Beyond the Gate

 Exploring Château Marouatte: Beyond the Gate

Part 4

Once inside the château enclosure, I continued wandering. By now I had learned that at Marouatte, the most interesting thing to do is simply follow the walls, look around corners and investigate whatever catches my eye.

The monumental architecture is always there, but the closer I get, the more intimate the château becomes.

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Standing almost directly against the château wall and looking upward gives an entirely different sense of its height.

From here, the architecture is a vertical stack of centuries. Large, elegant stone-framed windows occupy the lower level. Above them are smaller mullioned windows with diamond-patterned glazing. Still higher, rows of projecting stone corbels create deep shadows beneath the upper defensive works.

The contrast is striking. These lower windows feel residential and graceful, while the stonework overhead reminds me that I am still standing inside a fortified château.

And when you stand this close, the stone itself becomes part of the photograph. No two sections look quite alike. Rough rubble masonry sits beside precisely carved window surrounds. Weathering has softened edges and darkened recesses.

You can almost read the building from bottom to top.

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Around the corner, I found what may be one of my favorite places on the grounds.

A huge old tree spreads its branches over a little terrace at the edge of the château walls. Beneath it are elaborate cast-iron chairs, a small table and a simple wooden bench. Beyond the low stone parapet, the land suddenly opens into an enormous view of the surrounding forest.

After the massive walls and enclosed courtyards, that view comes almost as a surprise.

The château suddenly stops being the subject.

The countryside takes over.

I can imagine sitting here with morning coffee, watching the light move across the wooded hills. The ornate chairs seem almost impossibly delicate beside the massive tree trunk and heavy stone wall.

It is a quiet little room without walls or ceiling, unless you count the branches overhead.

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A few steps farther and the small building beneath the tree comes into full view.

Its steep dark roof, pale stone walls and old wooden door make it look almost like a tiny pavilion perched at the edge of the property. Two lanterns flank the doorway, and large urns sit nearby.

But, of course, I saw a door.

And by now we know what happens when I see a door.

I opened it.

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Before going inside, however, I became distracted again.

At the base of the building is another collection of objects that seems perfectly Marouatte.

A small weathered stone figure stands partly concealed by plants. Nearby are stones almost completely covered in thick cushions of moss. Succulent stonecrop grows directly across one of them, its fleshy stems winding through the moss.

Another mound of greenery has formed beside the wall, dense enough that it looks almost deliberately sculpted.

This connects perfectly with what I noticed during my Part 2 exploration. Here, plants do not necessarily need a flowerbed. Given a little moisture and a crevice in the stone, something will grow.

The moss-covered rocks look as though they have been sitting here undisturbed for a very long time.

And perhaps they have.

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Then I stepped inside.

Well.

This was not what I expected.

The little building that looked so picturesque from outside is being used for storage. Boxes are stacked toward the back. Furniture, cushions, mattresses, framed pieces and other household items fill the room.

But then I looked down.

Right in the middle of the floor is an opening.

A steep stone staircase disappears beneath the room into darkness.

Suddenly the boxes and stored furniture became much less interesting.

Where do those stairs go?

There is something irresistible about finding a staircase descending beneath a château. My imagination immediately supplied several far more dramatic explanations than were probably warranted.

A dungeon?

A secret passage?

An underground escape route?

A wine cellar?

Or simply a practical cellar beneath an old building?

I don’t know.

And perhaps not knowing is more fun.

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Then something else caught my attention.

Records.

Not historical records.

Vinyl records.

A wooden cabinet contains a substantial collection of LPs, and sitting above them are several wonderfully vintage pieces of audio equipment still in their original boxes.

The labels identify Crown D-75 amplifiers, professional audio amplifiers made by Crown. Beside them appears to be an Amcron-branded D-75 unit, the name under which Crown equipment was historically marketed in parts of Europe.

Suddenly this little stone building had produced yet another surprise.

Outside, I had been photographing medieval-looking walls, moss-covered stones and a weathered statue.

Inside, I found amplifiers and a record collection.

That is becoming the pattern of my exploration.

Every time I think I understand what a space is going to be, Marouatte changes the story.

A fortress contains a peaceful garden.

A defensive wall overlooks an idyllic forest.

A picturesque little building becomes a storage room.

A storage room contains a mysterious staircase.

And beside the staircase sits a collection of vinyl records and vintage audio equipment.

I started this walk thinking I was exploring a château.

I am beginning to think I am exploring a giant cabinet of curiosities.

And I am definitely not finished opening doors.