Soie Castle (
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
: Seta Castle) is a ruined
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
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
of
Savièse
Savièse is a municipality in the district of Sion in the canton of Valais in Switzerland.
History
Savièse is first mentioned in 1200 as ''Saviesi''. In 1224 it was mentioned as ''Savisia''. The municipality was formerly known by its German n ...
of the
Canton of Valais
Valais ( , , ; frp, Valês; german: Wallis ), more formally the Canton of Valais,; german: Kanton Wallis; in other official Swiss languages outside Valais: it, (Canton) Vallese ; rm, (Chantun) Vallais. is one of the 26 cantons forming the Sw ...
in
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
.
History
Soie Castle was built around 1200 by Landri de Mont, the
Bishop of Sion
The Diocese of Sion ( la, Dioecesis Sedunensis, french: Diocèse de Sion, german: Bistum Sitten) is a Catholic ecclesiastical territory in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. It is the oldest bishopric in the country and one of the oldest north o ...
, possibly to restrict the power of the
Counts of Savoy
The titles of count, then of duke of Savoy are titles of nobility attached to the historical territory of Savoy. Since its creation, in the 11th century, the county was held by the House of Savoy. The County of Savoy was elevated to a duchy at ...
in Valais. During the conflicts between the bishop and the counts during the 13th century the castle was not damaged and in a 1260 peace treaty was listed as remaining in the bishop's hands.
By the mid 14th century Bishop Guichard Tavel had moved from the old fortress of
Tourbillon
In horology, a tourbillon (; "whirlwind") is an addition to the mechanics of a watch escapement to increase accuracy. It was developed around 1795 and patented by the Swiss-French watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet on June 26, 1801. In a tourbill ...
to Soie.
Burgenwelt.ch
accessed 6 July 2017
However, Bishop Tavel only had a few years to enjoy Soie. The bishop had a long standing feud with the de la Tour family. On 8 August 1375 Antoine de la Tour and his soldiers entered the castle looking for the Bishop. They found him reading his breviary
A breviary (Latin: ''breviarium'') is a liturgical book used in Christianity for praying the canonical hours, usually recited at seven fixed prayer times.
Historically, different breviaries were used in the various parts of Christendom, such a ...
in the garden and seizing him, dragged the Bishop to the top of the walls before hurling him off to the rocks below.[
In 1417, during the ]Raron affair
The Raron affair (German: ''Raronhandel'') was a 15th-century rebellion in the Valais (the prince-bishopric of Sion) against the power of a local noble family, the Raron family. The rebellion brought several cantons of the Swiss Confederation in ...
Valais troops burned Soie Castle along with several of the bishop's other castles. After its destruction, the castle was abandoned and allowed to fall further into ruin.[
]
Castle site
The castle is located on the hill side south-west of Savièse and near Sion. The site is divided into three sections, each separated by a ditch
A ditch is a small to moderate divot created to channel water. A ditch can be used for drainage, to drain water from low-lying areas, alongside roadways or fields, or to channel water from a more distant source for plant irrigation. Ditches ar ...
or dry moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...
. The best preserved section is the outer castle, which was divided into several rooms with a well preserved gate way. The other sections are the main castle and the garden area.[
]
See also
* List of castles in Switzerland
This list includes castles and fortresses in Switzerland.
Entries list the name and location of the castle, fortress or ruins in each Canton in Switzerland.
Aargau
Appenzell Ausserrhoden
Appenzell Innerrhoden
Basel-Land
...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Soie Castle
Castles in the canton of Valais
Ruined castles in Switzerland