Realist Art in Oils, Watercolours and Ink Sketches by Dai Wynn
The Fortified House of Reignac
La Maison Forte de Reignac: Classified Historic Monument with a fourteenth century façade.
The fortified house of Reignac is not just a powerful hideout embedded in caves in the flank of a cliff. The lord of the manor lived here surrounded by his family and household staff. Here he exercised his power and made judgements on minor misdemeanors in his territory. Nevertheless, the master of the troglodyte (cave dweller) city of la Roque Saint Christophe two kilometres away made all major legal decisions.
The fortifications are sufficient to resist minor attacks by groups of pirates, looters, kidnappers, and swindlers. However, they would not have been able to resist a proper army for long, although any attack could only be frontal. Moreover, the elevated position of the strong house sheltering under the cliffs, made it defensible against attackers below. It had formidable fire power. Defenders fired 12 guns from its ramparts and employed bludgeon weapons.
The upper grottoes, 40 metres above ground, were a refuge never attacked.
The Middle Ages endured for 1,000 years, starting in the fifth century and finishing at the end of the fifteenth century. That is when the Renaissance period began.
Dai Wynn painted this fascinating scene after a visit. Oils on linen on board. 30.5cm high by 40.6cm wide by 0.5cm deep. Dai translated the above description in French from a wall plaque in the house.
Keen observers will spot the galleries and lookouts, accessed by stairs, above the roof of the house.
