The mysterious markings in the round tower of the château

Château de Javarzay

Superstitions, mystical marks and secrets of the Château de Javarzay

It is Friday 13^th October, so it seemed an appropriate date to write about some mysterious marks carved into the stonework at the Château de Javarzay and the secrets or superstitions behind them. 

 

One of the things I enjoy most about working at the château is speaking to the visitors, both welcoming them in, and chatting about their visit afterwards. Everyone sees something different in the museum that piques their interest and whenever I’m asked a question I don’t have the answer to, I dig around until I’ve found one, and add it to my memory bank. 

 

In April last year, I spotted a collection of different circular marks carved into the stonework in a window recess of the round tower. I traced them with my fingers and took photos, but it wasn’t until this September when a visitor asked what they represented and how old they were, that I thought to investigate them further.

Mysterious circular marks at the Château de Javarzay

 

Stonemason marks

My first point of call was to chat to some of the volunteers who’ve been part of the château since the 1980’s, and this gave me a few different answers, although like me, no one had ever given them much thought. Some believed they were stonemason’s marks, so likely dating back to the early 1500’s when the château was built, but one pointed me in the direction of a book written about another interesting property in Chef-Boutonne, Le Logis de la Pirounelle, or the alchemist’s house. More about that later.

 

It is not uncommon to find marks left by masons in the stonework of old buildings, either used to identify who had worked on a stone, to ensure they were paid, or to determine which stones were to be placed next to each other and which way around. This YouTube clip from the University of Warwick, that my colleague Paul found, explains this really well. The masons used a tool like a pair of compasses, but with two points, so circular designs, like the ones we have at the château are common. While this is probably the most logical explanation, I’m not convinced. We have lots of stones with no visible marks, all over the château, so why in just one window recess can we see so many different circular designs, some even carved into the same piece of stone? I guess it could have been an apprentice mason, experimenting with his tools, but my fantasy head disappeared off into another direction.

Circular markings at Château de Javarzay

 

The Renaissance and sacred geometry

The château dates from the early French Renaissance period, with building work beginning in 1513. The Renaissance is an era associated with artists, intellectuals and humanists, including Leonardo da Vinci, who was invited to France by King François I in 1516. As well as being given the Château Clos Lucé, in Amboise, the title of “Premier Painter and Engineer and Architect of the King” was bestowed upon him, and he remained in France until his death in 1519. One of Leonardo’s celebrated works is the Vitruvian Man, his study of the perfectly proportioned man, drawn within a circle and a square, using mathematics and geometry. This led me into the world of sacred geometry. In this ancient science, symbolic and sacred meanings are given to geometric shapes, in an attempt to explain the energy patterns that create and unify all things.

A Flower of Life?

 

The Seed of Life

Some of our markings look similar to the seed of life, where six circles are equally overlapped, giving the seventh, inner circle or the flower of life, six petals. We have a carving of a circle with the six petals and another of five circles within a sixth. It is the interconnecting of the circles that is one of the most important concepts of the Seed of Life, representing that we are all part of a larger, interconnected whole. Associated with the number seven, that has links to spirituality and different cultures and religions, the seed of life represents the seven stages of creation, but as more circles can be added, it also displays the concept that there is always more to create. 

 

Mandalas, the geometric symbols that are found in both Hinduism and Buddhism, often use interconnecting circles to represent the spiritual journey, to create a focal point for meditation, or to emphasise impermanence and non-attachment. Buddhist monks will draw out elaborate mandalas as part of their worship, that are then destroyed in a fraction of the time it took to create them. Thanks to Kate at Phoenix Yoga for helping me understand this a little better.

Merkaba stone, Javarzay

 

Merkaba stone

If you think that these explanations are a little way out and spiritual for a five-hundred-year-old château in rural France, I’d probably agree with you if it weren’t for two things. The first is the discovery of a Merkaba stone in the sacristy of St Chartier’s church that is next door to the château. A Merkaba is an eight-pointed, three-dimensional, stone star of David that has links to Jewish mysticism but is also the energy field that surrounds our bodies. Its sacred geometric shape combines opposing energies in perfect balance and learning how to activate our Merkaba, with Prana yogic breathing, can give us a greater sense of well-being, increased intuition and a deeper connection to the universe. The Merkaba stone now lives in the round tower of the château, but my mind boggles as to how it came to be in a catholic church.

La Pirounelle, le logis de l'alchimiste

 

Alchemy

The second brings me back to the book by Jean-François Grimaud, about La Pirounelle, the alchemist's house, that dates from 1613. Sat on a roundabout, next to the supermarket carpark, La Pirounelle is a turreted house, partially hidden behind a high wall, that has been home to the notaires (lawyers) office, the Gendarmerie (police) but further back in time, Jean Gadouyn, an alchemist. 

 

Alchemy is the forerunner to chemistry and the ancient science that aimed to discover how to convert metals into gold and find the elixir of life. There are many symbols associated with alchemy and carved into the stonework of La Pirounelle you can find the moon, the tree of life, a monkey, a lion and (more importantly), a six-petaled flower, just like the one at the château. Here it is said to signify to the initiated, the quest of the master of the house.

Château gallery, Dampierre-sur-Boutonne

 

It seems Jean Gadouyn wasn’t the only alchemist in the area as a little further along the Boutonne river, that runs behind the Château de Javarzay, is Dampierre-sur-Boutonne. Here you can find another Renaissance château, that I have now discovered is known to be an alchemist’s château. We visited it last December, and it was the elaborately carved stone ceiling on its upper gallery, that caught my eye. These carvings are a “masterpiece of French alchemical art” – Nick Inman, A Guide to Mystical France.

 

Wow, I had no idea that looking into a few interesting circles carved into the stonework of the château would find me dipping my toes into such deep topics, that go way above my comprehension. 

Circular markings at Château de Javarzay

 

Apotropaic marks

Paul then came up with another possibility and I have to say, this is the one that I am drawn to the most - apotropaic marks – and no, I’d never come across that word before. These are marks that were carved into woodwork or stone, and normally found around chimneys, windows or other openings, and were believed to be charms to protect the inhabitants from witches and evil spirits. This article from the Guardian newspaper explains all and shows markings identical to what we have at the château. I wouldn’t describe it as an evil spirit, but there is definitely a ghostly presence at the château, but more about ‘her’ another day.

 

As Halloween approaches and our season comes to an end with a special school holiday code-breaking game, that will fill the château with mini-witches, ghosts and skeletons, on the search for sweets, I’m just hoping these marks will keep me and the château safe when sugar levels rise.

 

I know I have only scratched the surface here, but I have equipped myself with lots of books to delve further into this over winter, as I attempt to understand the secrets of the château a little better. One of these books, A Guide to Mystical France, by Nick Inman, who I met at a local literary festival, wisely tells me that France is full of symbols, but it is important to understand that an esoteric symbol may have no literal, fixed meaning, dealing as it does with matters that are beyond words. This is a challenge for those of us who want exact answers, but it should enable us to explore, ask questions and stretch our minds in different ways, much like the path these mysterious circles have led me on.

Some of my research reading

 

Do you have any other ideas about what or why these markings are? I would love to hear from you if you do.

The stonework of the Chateau de Javarzay and my Cinderella shoes

Stonework markings at Chateau de Javarzay

The madness of March

March was a month of madness where change left our normal routine in tatters. 

In the UK with family

The big news was that for the first time since the pandemic we made it to the UK for what can only be described as a whirlwind week of catching up with family. The travel alone left my head reeling, but it was worth it – as was the extra cost of a daytime cabin on the ferry. It was our first time using the DFDS Dieppe-Newhaven service, but it won’t be our last. 

 

We have now been living with Covid-19 for two years and although restrictions have all but disappeared, I currently know of more people (both here in France and in the UK) who have caught it in the last few weeks than ever. With France voting this Sunday in the first rounds of the Presidential elections, I’m just glad I don’t have any need to be anywhere near a bureau de vote. Our social life has become a little less hermit-like, but we are still not taking too many chances and never leave home without a mask and bottle of hand gel. The news might not be full of headlines about the pandemic and lockdowns, but with the war in Ukraine, it is no easier to understand or cope with and still leaves a sickening feeling in my stomach.

 

The clocks have jumped to summer time and winter has officially rolled into spring, although with temperatures of -2º last weekend and tempête Diego currently rocking the garden with forecast gusts of wind up to 100km/hr, I’m yet to be convinced. One thing that I am convinced by is that our climate is as unstable as world politics and although it might not be much, I’m more determined than ever to use my bike instead of the car for local journeys. Last weekend’s frozen commute to work wasn’t easy with three pairs of gloves and seven layers of clothing, but I survived.

 

Chateau de Javarzay, Chef-Boutonne

Work at the Chateau de Javarzay is a welcome distraction and the more time I spend there, the more I’m learning about it and enjoying it. I like to think that the stones are the bones of the chateau and I hope you’ll agree that it has a fine bone structure to rival any super model. It’s certainly got good pedigree too, being one of the first Renaissance chateaux in the Poitou region and dating back to 1515. The more I'm there, the more details I find to catch my eye and the more the history of this building comes to life. 

 

The museum entry

The current entrance to the chateau is in the orangery, an addition to the original building in 1850. The building may have gone through many changes and renovations over the years, but the wear and tear of the centuries is still evident in the superb, patterned floor where I’m lucky enough to spend my working days. The smaller black tiles are set diagonally between the cream flagstone squares, and if you look closely, ammonite fossils can be seen peeking through. 

Fossils in the flagstone floor

 

Cinderella shoes

The floors might be beautiful, but my first few days at the chateau revealed an urgent need for new shoes. My requirements were quite specific - they had to be warm and comfortable enough to stop my feet feeling like blocks of ice when standing all day on the flagstone floor, safe enough for climbing up and down a sixty-five-step spiral staircase numerous times a day, smart enough for work at a chateau and have that something special that catches the eye. 

 

My Cinderella chateau boots

On our recent trip back to UK, as if by magic, THE most perfect pair of Cinderella chateau boots leapt out of a shoe shop to find me. I might be fifty, but I like to think you are never too old for your first pair of Doc Martens Air Wairs, and the fact that this pair are pink and sparkly is just the icing on the cake. 

The spiral staircase in the turret tower

They have now completed two full weekends at work, and I’m delighted to report they are light, comfy and warm, plus I can tackle the spiral staircase with a youthful spring in my step.

The stone mason marks

 

I love to run my fingers over the huge stones that frame the doorways, that stand over 2.5m tall, and are pitted with the stonemason’s marks from when they worked on the creamy tufa stone from the Touraine. I can feel the five hundred years of history in my fingertips. 

 

Stone cornice

As part of the recent building works the walls may have been plastered and freshened up with paint, but this original stone cornice now has pride of place in the corner above our souvenir shop. 

The exterior stonework Chateau de Javarzay

 

Outside, the stonework of the chateau is even more impressive than what is visible inside and it’s certainly worth taking your time to look closely at the details. There are the intricately carved supports for the turret and tower walkways. 

 

The round tower walkway

The crenelated towers that served to keep an eye on the enemy as well as to show off the status of the lord. 

 

The spy hole by the gateway

The embrasure located by the gateway to watch for visitors and shoot attackers if necessary. 

The mullioned windows

 

The mullioned window frames decorated with typical Renaissance elements that also decorate the doorways and tops of the turrets. 

The cobbles of the entrance arch

 

Some of the stones show signs of their life over the years, like the grooves in the cobbles under the arch where carriage wheels have left their mark. 

 

There are also the narrow openings in the stone where the drawbridge would have dropped and above the arch what is left of the coat of arms. This, along with ten of the original twelve towers were destroyed to protect the remaining building (and no doubt the owners) as the French Revolution kicked off. 

 

The faces of the Chateau de Javarzay

It is the faces and features that you have to crane your neck to see that I love the most. With them watching down on me, I never feel alone when I’m there. 

 

There is so much more to see, so if you are in the area this weekend, come and let yourself be carried away to a place where history comes to life. I’d love to know what catches your eye.

Chateau de Javarzay, Chef-Boutonne