The Château de Fénelon near Sarlat in the Périgord Noir, which served as the backdrop for the exterior scenes of the last Ridley Scott, will be offering, from next June, an exhibition on the theme of judicial duels. Partly shot in the Dordogne in February 2020, the feature film is intrigued by one of the last legal duels in France. The one who opposed Jean de Carrouges to Jacques Le Gris in 1386. The Last Duel, starring Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Adam Driver and Jodie Comer in the lead roles, hit screens on October 13 across France.
– Emmanuel Claverie
“It will be an exhibition devoted to the duel in the Middle Ages and in particular to the judicial duel which was also called the ordeal explains Jean-Joël Delautre, curator of Château de Fénelon, and passionate about history. An institution that dates back to the 12th century, which had fallen into disuse under Saint-Louis and which had been given the honor in the 14th century, and in particular for this event which was the judicial duel between Jean de Carrouges and Jacques Le Gris and that is a true story. It must be repeated, it is the true story which strongly marked the judicial chronicles in its time “.
– Emmanuel Claverie
Exceptional pieces
On this occasion, Jean-Joël Delautre, recognized expert in ancient weapons, will present weapons from the Middle Ages, some exceptional, property of the family collection and never before exhibited. In particular a helmet from the end of the 14th century. “It is extremely rare to find this type of coin in private hands. he specifies. Most of them are in museums in France, at the Invalides or abroad. The helm is really the attribute of the knight. These are helmets that were made in several riveted plates. This helmet appears in the 12th century and will be in use on the battlefields until the end of the 14th century. We can say that it was the great helmet of the beginning of the Hundred Years War “.
– Emmanuel Claverie
A reconstructed tournament scene
The exhibition is still in the preparation stage. But Jean-Joël Delautre already has an idea of what it will look like. “We will in particular reconstruct a pass of arms between two armed riders, with mannequins in 15th century armor. he specifies. This exhibition corresponds to our policy, which is to make the Château de Fénelon truly a cultural place and therefore a place particularly dedicated to history “. For Jean-Joël Delautre, visitors are fond of this kind of exhibitions. “There, visitors will be confronted with ancient objects. It is really to have History in front of you. History is not something abstract and History has fortunately left many testimonies, castles, but also movable objects, weapons, furniture, and works of art “. To be discovered at the Château de Fénelon in Sainte-Mondane from June 2022.