Château de Modave

The oldest part of the building, the donjon, was built on a strategic rock high above the valley of the river Hoyoux.

In the next century Jean-Gaspard-Ferdinand de Marchin (1601–1673), a great military commander, acquired the castle and turned it from a medieval fortress into a luxury Baroque residence.

The ancient fortified castle was rebuilt from 1659 to 1667 in a manner showing a remarkable affinity to the most modern ideas of European country house building of the time.

The dignified symmetry with a triangular pediment accenting the main frontage, the geometrical articulation of the wall, the mansard roofs, and the spatial contrast between the corps de logis and the side wings have much in common with Mansart's country houses, such as the Château de Maisons-Laffitte.

Modave is the most prominent preserved example of High Baroque country-house architecture in the Southern Netherlands and the Prince-Bishopric of Liège.