THE INTERNAL STAIRCASE

The 18th century historian Jean-Baptiste de Tillier described Verrès Castle and its impressive structures; he noted with wonder that the majestic staircase had steps made from blocks of stone touttes d’une piece. This incredible structure, connecting the various floors, could make us think it was the trick of some some design architect capable of creating impossible geometries: a series of colossal arches, in part with flying buttresses, wedged into the external walls, one moment supporting the steps, the next the galleries. The incongruences between the floor levels, as well as the variety in the adornments, dimensions and positions of entrances and windows, leave us with the idea of many different hands having left their mark on it at different times; it remains a mystery, however, whether or not the staircase was built in a single campaign and was commissioned only by Yblet de Challant.