The Château d'Essalois is a restored

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

in the '' commune'' of

Chambles Chambles () is a commune in the Loire department in central France. The commune has an area of 18.90 km2 and its altitude ranges from 360 to 741 meters. As of 2019, there were 522 dwellings in Chambles, of which 420 main residences.

in the Loire '' département'' of France, overlooking a dammed portion of the river Loire, Lake Grangent.

History

Site of ancient occupation

The castle stands on a natural strategic strong point, inhabited by mankind since time immemorial. The very important Gallic oppidum (occupied by the Segusiavi from 170BC to 25BC) extended for 500m behind the castle in a place known as ''"le palais"'' (the palace). The remains of the oppidum walls are buried by broom. Finds of

amphora An amphora (; grc, ἀμφορεύς, ''amphoreús''; English plural: amphorae or amphoras) is a type of container with a pointed bottom and characteristic shape and size which fit tightly (and therefore safely) against each other in storag ...

s and coins during the archaeological excavations carried out by Preynat revealed the existence of an important wine trade with Italy, before the Roman occupation.

Unknown origin

The oldest documents mentioning the castle are from the 14th century. The ''puy'' (hill) of Essalois is quoted in charters from 1337 onwards, variously named ''Podium deysaluym'', ''Mons deysaluym'' and ''Suc du Pré''. In 1378, Arthaud de Villedieu paid homage to the Count of Forez for the house and the tower of Essalois which oversaw the Loire. In 1464, the tower of Essalois belonged to Beraud de la Bâtie. So far, the vestiges of this early construction have not been identified.

16th century construction

The castle as it currently appears was built mainly in 1580 by Léonard de Bertrand, Seigneur of Essalois and master of water and forests in Montbrison. In 1590, the castle was plundered by Catholic League troops commanded by Honore d'Urfé. The seigniory which included Chambles, Périgneux,

Saint-Marcellin Saint-Marcellin is a soft French cheese made from cow's milk. Named after the small town of Saint-Marcellin ( Isère), it is produced in a geographical area corresponding to part of the former Dauphiné province (now included in the Rhône-Alpes ...

and Saint-Rambert passed in the 17th century to the lords of Sury-le-Comtal, the De la Veuhes, and through them to the Sourdis family. In 1671, Catherine d' Entraigues, widow of Pierre Sourdis, sold the seigniory to the

Camaldolese The Camaldolese Hermits of Mount Corona ( la, Congregatio Eremitarum Camaldulensium Montis Coronae), commonly called Camaldolese is a monastic order of Pontifical Right for men founded by Saint Romuald. Their name is derived from the Holy Hermita ...

monks at Val Jésus. The Camaldoleses kept the castle until 1798. In the 18th century, the estate was sold as national property to Pierre Théollière of Réardière, and it then passed successively to several owners. It comprised then the old castle, consisting of two towers, a barn, farm buildings and stables, surrounded by wood, forests, meadows, rocks and heather, with approximately 718 smallholdings. This inventory of 1791 and studying the plans of the deed makes it possible to distinguish in the buildings at least two parts, of which the oldest is obviously the southern half comprising the two round towers.

19th century: first restoration

The castle was in ruins when it was bought towards the end of the 19th century by Hippolyte Sauzéa, a merchant in

Saint-Étienne Saint-Étienne (; frp, Sant-Etiève; oc, Sant Estève, ) is a city and the prefecture of the Loire department in eastern-central France, in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Saint-Étienne is the t ...

who restored it and bequeathed it to the Hospices of Saint-Étienne. The east and west facades carry obvious signs (vertical joints, replaced masonry) which make it possible to distinguish the two restoration campaigns. The brick works carries the hallmarks of the 19th century. On the western facade is the coat of arms of Hippolyte Sauzéa.

Current restoration

In 1976, the ''Syndicat Mixte d’Aménagement des gorges de la Loire'' (seven ''communes'' bordering the Grangent Lake) and the ' of the Loire acquired the Château d'Essalois. From 1983, restoration continued under the direction of Gilles Michelou, with the assistance of Mr. Lazar, architect of ''Bâtiments de France''. The castle, by its size and its position, occupies one of the strong points of the Gorges of the Loire. Its tower offers a splendid view of the landscape, including the Grangent lake and the

Château de Grangent The Château de Grangent is a ruined castle in the ''Communes of France, commune'' of Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert in the Loire (department), Loire ''Departments of France, département'' of France. At the time of its construction, originally around ...

below.

Sources

* Information panel on the site, citing : * Jean-Paul Preynat, ''Un haut lieu Celtique en Forez : l'oppidum d'Essalois'', 1992 . * Emile Salmon, ''Château en Forez'', vol 1, 1916. * Albert Boissier, ''Chambles, la région illustrée'', 1934.

External links

Visiting information
{{DEFAULTSORT:Essalois, Chateau D' Castles in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Museums in Loire (department) Historic house museums in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Segusiavi Forez