Castle Jehay
History
A bit of history
The seigniory of Jehay saw its origins in the Middle Ages, but it was mainly during the 15th century that its destiny took shape.
Confiscated from Wathieu Datin by the Prince-Bishop in 1428, the site passed successively through the hands of the Gossuin de Beine, de Towin and de Sart families.
In 1537, Jehan Helman de Sart, husband of Margeurite de la Falloise, inherited the domain and fairly soon embarked on rebuilding a new castle. But it was the marriage of his daughter, Jeanne, to Arnould de Merode that especially secured the latter family's ownership of the seigniory for almost two centuries.
In 1720, the seigniory was purchased by Lambert van den Steen, seigneur of Saive in Hesbaye and advisor to the Prince-Bishop. This family went on to keep the domain for 280 years and to give it the splendour that is here for us to admire today.
Province de Liège has performed numerous works on the site since 2000. The most important of these, that of the restoration of the castle itself, is in progress. The historical and archaeological studies carried out during this vast project will certainly shed new light on this high heritage and tourist site.
