Hof van Rameyen

Description

"Hof van Rameyen" is a moated castle in #Gestel (Antwerpen). Its origins date back to a 13th-century fortified keep, first documented in 1303 under Jan II Berthout. Over the 16th century, it evolved into a renaissance castle with gun ports. In 1643, Boudewijn de Cock sold it to Nicolaas Rubens, second son of Peter Paul Rubens, who restored the estate, with his descendants owning it until 1759. It later fell into decay before 19th-century restoration works by Esquire Nicolaas Joseph Alphonse de Cock. Key architectural features include its triangular courtyard flanked by an 18th-century chapel, and a unique 16th-century majolica-tiled chapel floor, considered the oldest in the Benelux.