Château Saint-Léon

About

Château Saint-Léon is a building built on the remains of a 13th century medieval castle. It is located in the heart of the village of Eguisheim in the department of Haut-Rhin (Great East region). From the early fortress, there is little left but the wall of enclosure following an octagonal plan that is classified as historical monuments.

In the Mérimée base, it is referred to as Château de Saint-Léon-Pfalz. The remains of the castle were completely remodelled at the end of the 19th century by the addition of a neo-Roman style chapel dedicated to Saint-Leon IX and a neo-renaissance style turret housing a staircase that allows access to the floors of the house. The claim spread since the 19th century that this castle would be the birthplace of Pope Leo IX is however controversial and undermined by the research of recent decades.