Castle of l’Estriverie: A Fortified Moated Castle in Belgium
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.3
- Popularity
- Low
- Country
- Belgium
- Primary era
- Early Modern
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Medieval, Early Modern, Modern
- Civilizations
- Holy Roman Empire
- Site type
- Domestic
- Remains
- Castle
On this page6 sections
History
Castle of l’Estriverie is a fortified moated castle in Belgium, in Bois-de-Lessines, a village of Lessines in Hainaut. It was built to defend the Debattenland, a contested territory between the County of Flanders and the County of Hainaut.
Medieval Foundations
In 1324, the Counts of Hainaut declared the estate a fief, meaning a landed estate granted by a superior lord in return for obligations, and gave it to Gérard de Lestruve. His name became associated with the castle. The estate later passed to the Hoste d’Ecaussinnes family and then, in 1440, to the Despretz de Quiévrain family.
Watier de Quivrains of the Despretz family erected a castle on the site in 1454. The present building incorporates the foundations of that earlier structure.
Rebuilding and Ownership
In 1483, the estate passed by marriage to the Cottrel family, which retained it for seven generations. During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the Cottrels extensively restored and rebuilt the castle. These works transformed the fortified medieval dwelling into a more refined château.
In 1727, the estate became the property of Marie Spinola, described as the last niece of the Cottrel family. She transferred it to her son, who sold it in 1756 to Joseph Antoine de Wautier. The Court of Hainaut overturned that sale and transferred the castle to Jean Philippe d’Yve, Viscount of Bavay, a rank historically subordinate to a count.
Nineteenth-Century Alterations and Protection
The castle was altered again during the nineteenth century in the classicist style. It is now occupied by the family of the Marquis d’Yve de Bavay. A marquis is a high-ranking hereditary noble title traditionally associated with governing a border territory. Castle of l’Estriverie is protected as a monument and recognized as protected heritage in Wallonia.
Remains
Moated Castle and Medieval Fabric
Castle of l’Estriverie retains the form of a fortified moated castle. A fixed stone entrance bridge provides access across the moat, while two round towers form part of the surviving defensive arrangement. The present building stands on the foundations of the castle erected in 1454, linking the later residence to its fifteenth-century predecessor.
