Guédelon Castle 2023: Celebrating 13th-Century Medieval Crafts

In the third installment about building a castle complex, we present what has been learned about craftsmanship in the Middle Ages.

Guédelon Castle complex in 2023. Copyright Guédelon

While staying true to the building methods used in the 13th century, the construction of Guédelon has been ongoing for 26 years. CEO Maryline Martin, working with head stone mason Florian Renucci, has led the effort to complete the project. With an estimated 10 more years to completion, much has been accomplished to date regarding how much has been learned about medieval construction methods.

Guédelon is situated on property bought for the purpose of building a 13th-century castle from scratch. Everything necessary for the construction of a castle is there: a quarry for stone, a forest for wood, sand, water, and clay. Many crafts were also needed to build Guédelon, including those for the finishing touches that make a castle a home.

The Blacksmith and Stone Masons

The construction began with the skills of a blacksmith. Blacksmiths in the 13th century made steel by heating iron over a charcoal fire for a long period of time. The modern-day term would be smelting. The Guédelon team makes their own charcoal to fire the furnace to make the steel; the steel can be made into anything needed for all the craftworks, from nails, to knives, to tools.