THE WATER ELEVATING MACHINE OF MODAVE INVENTED BY THE CARPENTER RENNEQUIN SUALEM When the castle was rebuilt by Jean-GaspardFerdinand. Count de Marchin. in 1667 or 1668. a hydraulic machine was built at Modave Castle. This machine was to pump water from the Hoyoux River up to the castle s yard. The water was pumped to a tower. which still exists in the upper part of the park, Water was raised about fifty meters. Such a powerful machine was considered a wonder at the time. Tradition says that the machine was invented by a carpenter, Rennequin Sualem. born at Jemeppe-sur-Meuse on 29th January 1645. The Modave hydraulic machine was the basis of the later one built at Marly to pump water to the Palace of Versailles. There water was pumped a hundred and fifty meters above the Seine. A plan of the Modave machine was found among the castle's records. It seems to be the work of Jean de Siane du Pont. inhabitant of Namur. contractor to the King. It was drawn on request of Baron Arnold de Ville. When Baron Arnold de Ville became the owner of the castle. the machine of Modave was nearly a ruin. THE MARLY-MACHINE Baron Arnold de Ville - generally designated by .+he French as the inventor of the Marly-machine - was already familiar with Modave at the time of the Counts de Marchin, especially because of his fnendship with field-marshal Jean-Ferdinand. Therefore he had the opportunity to admire and to study the machine built by Sualem. Tradition tells that he indeed studied it, copied its plans and intended to reap benefit from it. Informed maybe by his friend Jean-Ferdinand de Marchin - of the desire of Louis XIV and his minister Colbert to pump water from the Seine to Versailles, Arnold de Ville presented himself in 1681 to carry out this gigantic work. He was helped by Rennequin Sualem. and. if we may believe tradition, this illiterate carpenter from Jemeppe-sur-Meuse was the actual inventor of the Marly-machine. Baron Arnold de Ville enjoyed the credit at the court of Louis XIV, The King gave him a present of 1GO,OOO pounds, had him a magnificent residence built near the machine and appointed him governor of this machine. He received an annual gratuity of 6.000 pounds. to which were added another 6,000 pounds as a pension. Rennequin Sualem was put in charge of the machine's maintenance at a much lower salary compared with the importance of this invention.