Miramont Castle

Miramont Castle. . , Jean Baptiste Francolon, a French Roman Catholic priest, became the parish priest of Manitou Springs in 1893. After a pilgrimage to Rome in 1894, Francolon began building Miramont Castle, incorporating nine styles of architecture from memories of his family home and travels with his diplomat father. Master builders Archie and Angus Gillis and mason William Frizzell constructed the four-story structure mostly of Manitou greenstone. Greenstone is found only in this area and was quarried from 1890 until around 1940. The Gillis brothers built many of the historic structures in Manitou Springs including the Community Congregational Church., Francolon and his mother, Marie Francolon de Beaulieu, moved into the Castle in 1896. A February 22, 1897 charity ball honored George Washington's birthday and their grand home. Three hundred members of Colorado society donated to the Manitou Free Reading Room to dance the night away in colonial costume. Spectators paid a dollar to watch. The Francolons lived here until 1899, when they abruptly left the area and sold the property to The Sisters of Mercy, who opened a sanitarium there in 1904. The institution closed in 1928; thereafter only visiting Sisters from other parishes stayed at Miramont., In 1946, Miramont was sold`and converted into apartments. By July 1976, the Manitou Springs Historical Society purchased the derelict property and restored it with the help of many local volunteers. The Miramont Castle Museum celebrated its grand opening and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977., Captions , Montcalme, seen at the left of this view, was the original home of Father Francolon, given to the Sisters of Mercy for a sanitarium when Miramont was built. When Montcalme burned, the Sisters took over Miramont. Courtesy of Historic Manitou Springs, Inc., Sanitarium guests pose for a photographer before they go on picnic in a Tally Ho Wagon ride. Miramont was called Montcalme by the Sisters of Mercy then returned to its original name by the Manitou Springs Historical Society. Courtesy of Historic Manitou Springs, Inc.