Maele Castle

About

The Graflijk Slot of Male was the castle of the graves of Flanders and is located in Male in Sint-Kruis, part municipality of the Belgian city of Bruges. In and around the castle a lot of history of Flanders was laid, of which traces can still be found. The buildings, almost completely rebuilt after the destruction of the Second World War, housed the Saint-Trudo Abbey from 1954 to 2013.

History: The origin of the castle may go back to the 9th century, when a moth castle existed. Such reinforcements were established by Boudewijn I on various strategic points around the region of Bruges to resist the Normans. In the 12th century Philip van den Alsace built a stone castle. In 1166, according to legend, the chapel was inaugurated by Thomas Becket, the exiled Archbishop of Canterbury. Under Philip van den Alsace, who settled in the castle, it became a center of the cemetery. During wars with France, the castle was occupied and recaptured in 1302 by the Bruges under the leadership of Pieter de Coninck and Willem van Gulik. The most important person whose name is attached to this castle was Louis...