The Château d'Essalois is a restored

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

in the '' commune'' of Chambles in the

Loire The Loire ( , , ; ; ; ; ) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhône. It rises in the so ...

département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. There are a total of 101 ...

'' of France, overlooking a dammed portion of the river

, 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 An ''oppidum'' (: ''oppida'') is a large fortified Iron Age Europe, Iron Age settlement or town. ''Oppida'' are primarily associated with the Celts, Celtic late La Tène culture, emerging during the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, spread acros ...

(occupied by the

Segusiavi The Segusiavi (Gaulish: *''Segusiauī/Segusiawī'') were a Gallic tribe dwelling around the modern city of Feurs (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes) during the Iron Age and the Roman period. Name They are named in Latin as ''Segusiavi'' by Caesar (mid-1st ...

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 A broom (also known as a broomstick) is a cleaning tool, consisting of usually stiff fibers (often made of materials such as plastic, hair, or corn husks) attached to, and roughly parallel to, a cylindrical handle, the broomstick. It is thus a ...

. Finds of

amphora An amphora (; ; English ) is a type of container with a pointed bottom and characteristic shape and size which fit tightly (and therefore safely) against each other in storage rooms and packages, tied together with rope and delivered by land ...

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

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

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 Forez (; ) is a Provinces of France, former province of France, corresponding approximately to the central part of the modern Loire (department), Loire ''département in France, département'' and a part of the Haute-Loire and Puy-de-Dôme ''dépa ...

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- ...

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 () are a Catholic Church, Catholic monastic order of pontifical right for men founded by Romuald, St. Romuald. Its name is derived from the Holy Hermitage () in Camaldoli, high in the mountains of Tuscany, ...

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 (; Franco-Provençal: ''Sant-Etiève''), also written St. Etienne, is a city and the prefecture of the Loire département, in eastern-central France, in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regi ...

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 A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

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 '' commune'' of Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert in the Loire ''département'' of France. At the time of its construction, originally around 800, it was on a promontory standing some 50 metres above the ...

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