+HISTORICAL FACT+ (louis 14th only drank champagne) ********************************* +FIRST TRIP TO GRUYERE+ >in 1985 i was honored by the french government with an invitation to exhibit my architecture in the +PARIS BIENNALE+ >ARCHITECTURAL EXHIBITION< >this was the beginning of many trips to france (i had first visited in 1969) as a university professor and in 1986 i made my 1st pilgrimage to +G R U Y E R E S+ >the magnificent castle / town +OF OUR ANCESTORS+ >high up in the swiss alps above lake geneva with its fantastic castle of +CHILLON+ (in the lake near montreux) >of lord byron fame but for us 3 important CHILLON facts... *************************** 1) IT WAS OWNED BY THE DUKES +OF SAVOY+ ( degruy relatives ) 2) IT IS LOCATED @ +VILLENEUVE+ >a suburb of montreux & very likely source of the degruy relatives who originally ( IN 1425 ) >inhabited the chateau +"MAGNY+FOUCHARD"+ ( verloing degruy chateau in the french champagne region ) 3) A COUNT deGRUYERE WAS ONCE >IMPRISONED AT CHILLON< >(thinking of lord byron's poem) >read mrs dekoven's account< in her " counts of gruyere" *************************** +GRUY/GRUYERES COAT OF ARMS+ >while i was in gruyere on that first pilgrimage i went to the library at the nearby town of bulle. >GRUYERE RECORDS HERE< ************************** >I XEROXED SEVERAL VALUABLE HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS about gruyere including +THE COAT OF ARMS+ >this page of the gruyere related coat of arms is before me now. ******************************* >there are 56 families coat of arms on the page who tagentally are related to our degruy coat of arms with the star, crescent. and vertical stripes >THE ORIGINAL GRUYERES CASTLE COAT OF ARMS W/ THE CRANE +IS NEAR THE GRUY ARMS+ (it was their battle flag) *********************** >(as is the GRUYS arms that david believes is the GUISE arms but that needs research) (more on this later) ****************** +deGRUY RELATED FAMILIES IN+ +THE CHAMPAGNE REGION+ ( near magny fouchard ) ********************** +VERLOING+VILLENEUVE+ +BOSSANCOURT+PERRY+ >i have written much about these families and how they relate. ***************************** +JOSEPHINE deSASSENAY+ +COUNTESS de BOSSANCOURT+ (see lebrun internet oeuvre) >born in 1811< >was painted in 1830 by the famous (TALENTED & POPULAR) >& long lived vigie lebrun who at one time was the mistress of (AMONG OTHERS) >louisiana gov. vaudreuil's grandson. she also painted +MARIE ANTOINETTE+ (wife of king louis 16th) *********************** +SHE WAS A CLOSE FRIEND OF FRENCH KING CHARLES X ( 1757>1824-1836 ) **************** +ELEGENT ARTISTIC SALONS+ >she maintained a very powerful social position in paris before (RUSSIA & ENGLAND) >and after the revolution (her life reads like fiction) and *************************** >THE PERSPECTIVE FOR US IS THAT THE deBOSSANCOURT SURVIVED THE FRENCH REVOLUTION ( their star continues) ********************* >the debossancourt participation in the salon of vigie lebrun gives >EMPHASIS TO THEIR SOCIAL +ARISTOCRATIC POSITION+. ************************** >(other neighbors of note) +VENDEUVRE IS THE LARGE AND VERY IMPRESSIVE CHATEAU JUST TO THE WEST OF THE deGRUY CHATEAU +MAGNY FOUCHARD+ >this was the country seat of the +KING OF LUXEMBOURG+ in the 17th century ******************* +FRANCOIS deLUXEMBOURG+ >marshal of france, duke depiney +DESCENDENT OF WILLIAM+ +THE CONQUEROR+ >again, adding lustre to the regal quality of the degruy family >G E N U S+L O C I ****************** gene ray, san diego, california (google) eugenerayart.com