# Exterior view [View the canonical artwork record]() ## Artwork - Artist: [ARCHITECT, French]() - Date: 1201-1250 - Technique: Photo ## Commentary Until the end of the first millennium, secular buildings \(residential and domestic quarters\) seem to have been built exclusively from non-durable materials \(conical mounds of earth, wood\). Around the year 1000, wood was increasingly replaced by stone for the construction of residential towers. The keep \(freestanding defence tower in a castle complex\) became not only a fortified building but also a symbol of power. The castle at Druyes-les-Belles-Fontaines is today a picturesque and impressive ruin, set high up on a natural rock ledge. The corners of the square structure are protected by circular towers. The living quarters were situated above the steep rockface overlooking the valley. The mighty gate-tower with its pointed archway and pier buttresses in the centre of the reverse side has survived almost intact. ## Related artworks - [Aerial view]() - [Aerial view]() - [Aerial view]() - [Aerial view]() - [Aerial view]() - [Aerial view]() - [Aerial view]() - [Aerial view]() - [Aerial view]() - [Bird's eye view]() - [Burial lantern]() - [Castle]() ## Attribution [Web Gallery of Art]()