Château d'Ivry-la-Bataille

The Château d'Ivry-la-Bataille is a ruinous Norman castle in the town of Ivry-la-Bataille in the Normandy region.

It is among the earliest examples of a stone donjon or keep, which would become a common feature of later Norman castles in various parts of Europe.

According to Orderic Vitalis, Rudolf's wife, Aubrey or Aubrée, is said to have had the architect beheaded, so that he couldn't build a similar castle for another warlord.

[1] The donjon has marked similarities with later Norman castle keeps, in Normandy notably Avranches, and in England notably Colchester Castle and the White Tower at the Tower of London; it has been suggested that Ivry was the model for these buildings.

[2] Only ruins now remain, but form an attractive walk overlooking the valley of the river Eure.