PHOTO ALBUM OF FRANCE
The pictures in this album were taken (or purchased) by me during two different visits to the Castle and Church built by the Cisney family of Menilles, Normandie, France. After searching through the records at the courthouse I am reasonably convinced that this is the ancestral home of the Cessna/Cissna/Sisney/et al family.
The Church was built by the Lord of Menille (a Cisney) in 1390. It has a private alcove just to the right of the Sanctuary (platform from which the priest said Mass). The alcove has a private door that leads directly to the castle, so the family did not have to mingle with the common folk on Sundays.
I was told by the mayor of Menilles that the family members are buried beneath the floor of the Sanctuary. Commoners were buried in the church yard across the road.
In one photo, I am standing beneath a plaque on the Chapel wall. It was dedicated to the family which built it...but the names have been chiseled off. The mayor said this was done during the French Revolution when royalty were despised.
The Castle was built in 1550 under special permission of Henry II, King of France. It replaced an older one made of wood in the 1300's. It was slightly damaged in WWII and repaired. It currently is owned by a civic organization which uses it for Retreats and meetings.
The oldest fireplace in the castle has a family coat of arms, made of cast iron at the back of the hearth. This may be the closest thing to a historical coat of arms. We should note that each coat of arms was made for an individual Lord, and not for a family. It would seem that this Coat of Arms was made for the Cisney who was Lord when the Castle was built.
The pictures in this album were taken (or purchased) by me during two different visits to the Castle and Church built by the Cisney family of Menilles, Normandie, France. After searching through the records at the courthouse I am reasonably convinced that this is the ancestral home of the Cessna/Cissna/Sisney/et al family.
The Church was built by the Lord of Menille (a Cisney) in 1390. It has a private alcove just to the right of the Sanctuary (platform from which the priest said Mass). The alcove has a private door that leads directly to the castle, so the family did not have to mingle with the common folk on Sundays.
I was told by the mayor of Menilles that the family members are buried beneath the floor of the Sanctuary. Commoners were buried in the church yard across the road.
In one photo, I am standing beneath a plaque on the Chapel wall. It was dedicated to the family which built it...but the names have been chiseled off. The mayor said this was done during the French Revolution when royalty were despised.
The Castle was built in 1550 under special permission of Henry II, King of France. It replaced an older one made of wood in the 1300's. It was slightly damaged in WWII and repaired. It currently is owned by a civic organization which uses it for Retreats and meetings.
The oldest fireplace in the castle has a family coat of arms, made of cast iron at the back of the hearth. This may be the closest thing to a historical coat of arms. We should note that each coat of arms was made for an individual Lord, and not for a family. It would seem that this Coat of Arms was made for the Cisney who was Lord when the Castle was built.