In a Minecraft world in which I used to play, there is a village called Jeanneville. Looking over that village and the nearby plains is a castle, the castle of Jeanneville.
It is a medieval castle in the style of 13th century French castles. Having been built entirely in survival mode, the castle is my Minecraft base in that world, containing all the things needed to function as such. That does not, however, compromise realism, which is the primary goal of the project.
Brief history
In 2019, I and two friends started playing in a multiplayer survival world. I began building the castle that year. During 2020 and 2021, I kept playing in that world from time to time, improving the castle and building the village.
The name
The world was named after Sainte Jeanne d’Arc (Saint Joan of Arc), who is also ideally the Patron Saint of the village and castle. The name Jeanneville is thus composed of Jeanne and the suffix -ville.
The castle’s keep
The keep is where the inhabitants of the castle live. The main structure has four floors, while the tower has an additional 3 floors.
Storage room
The ground floor is used for storage. It contains an organized system of chests and barrels used for storing all the resources I need. It is here that my precious materials (i.e. diamonds, gold…) are stored.
Great hall and kitchen
In the first floor, the one where the entrance is, there is the great hall and a functioning kitchen.
Garrison quarters
A spiral staircase near the entrance takes to the second floor, which is used as garrison quarters. The quarters can host up to twenty soldiers, each equipped with a sword and armor. There is, in the middle, a mess hall in which soldiers can convene.
Thanks to the Armor Statues data pack, the item racks really work, so swords and other items can be taken or deposited by right-clicking on them.
Private quarters
Beginning at the third floor and continuing all the way to the top of the tower are the private quarters. These include the master bedroom, some extra rooms for guests, a room in which to write or read (similar to an office) and a small library.
Since the library is at the top of the tower, the room has two balconies; one looking over the courtyard, the other looking over the village and the plains.
The castle’s courtyard
Between the castle’s entrance and the keep is the courtyard. It is surrounded by the walls and can be entered through the gatehouse. The two main buildings in the courtyard are the chapel and the horse stable.
Chapel
Found next to the castle’s well is a chapel dedicated to Saint Joan of Arc. While simple on the outside, the chapel is richly decorated inside, containing a diamond Cross, a set of golden ciborium and chalice (both built using the Armor Statues data pack) and two images. The first image is of Saint Joan of Arc and Saint Michael, while the second is of the Virgin Mary, Saint Joan and Saint Thérèse of Lisieux.
Horse stable
The other major building in the courtyard is the horse stable, in which up to three horses can stay.
The castle’s walls
The walls defending the castle have two separate levels: the inner level surrounds the keep, while the outer level surrounds the courtyard. Throughout the entire perimeter of the walls are machicolations, allowing archers standing on top of the walls to shoot arrows at the invaders while keeping themselves mostly protected.
Gatehouse
The castle of Jeanneville is built on top of a steep hill, with only one side gentle enough to allow for walking. That side, on which the road to the village is also built, is defended by the gatehouse. Being the first line of defence, it controls two sliding gates and has two murder holes in it.
The village
Built after the castle, the village of Jeanneville is located in the plains close to it. It has a watchtower, a church and many houses, each with its own function.
Watchtower
A rectangular tower with room for six fully equipped soldiers. It has a mess hall, a storage room and sleeping quarters, as well as a small horse stable.
Church
The church of ‘Mater Misericordiae’ is built in the Gothic style, with a central nave and two aisles. On its side there is a bell tower.
Right by the entrance, there is a statue of Saint Joan of Arc loosely inspired by this painting made by Jean-Jacques Scherrer, built using yet again the Armor Statues data pack.
From the inside of the church, still unfinished, it is possible to see the nave’s ceiling composed of rib vaults, while exposed wood covers the two aisles.
Houses
In the village and in the nearby area, there are many houses. Each is unique, both in the way it is built and in its function. For example, one house is also the blacksmith’s workshop, another is a bakery…
Most of the houses share the same style: the ground floor is made of stone and the higher floors are half-timbered and jettied.
The contents of a house vary greatly. The ground floor may be used either as a workshop (e.g. blacksmith) or to store things or animals. The first floor usually has a table and beds. Some houses also have an attic, used as additional storage or to fit more beds.
More screenshots
Here are a few more screenshots of the castle. These were made with the Iris Shaders mod (for Fabric) and Sildur’s Shaders on.
