Château de Chastellux () is a French

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 ...

with elements from the eleventh, thirteenth, fifteenth and nineteenth centuries. It is located in

Chastellux-sur-Cure Chastellux-sur-Cure (, literally ''Chastellux on Cure'') is a commune in the Yonne department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in north-central France. The Chateau de Chastellux, the ancestral home of the Chastellux family, is visitable every day ...

in the

Yonne Yonne () is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in France. It is named after the river Yonne, which flows through it, in the country's north-central part. One of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté's eight constituent departments, it is l ...

Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Bourgogne-Franche-Comté (; , sometimes abbreviated BFC; Arpitan: ''Borgogne-Franche-Comtât'') is a region in Eastern France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions, from a merger of Burgundy and Franche-Comté. The new region c ...

. This castle is still inhabited by the family who built it, a rarity in France. The oldest existing part of the building, the Saint-Jean tower, was built c. 1080 AD. The main building was the first part to be registered as a '' monument historique'' in 1925. The Saint-Jean tower and the surrounding buildings were later classified in 1976 and 1989, respectively.

History

The house of Chastellux takes its name from a place called Castrum Lucii located on the banks of the

Cure A cure is a substance or procedure that ends a medical condition, such as a medication, a surgical operation, a change in lifestyle or even a philosophical mindset that helps end a person's sufferings; or the state of being healed, or cured. The m ...

, 15 km from Avallon. Initially, the building in its original state was a

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 ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

fort A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

made of wood and stone. There remains many traces of Roman influence in the region, including the

mosaic A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...

of Chagnats found in the fields and currently on display at the museum of Avallonnais, Avallon.

Middle Ages

The oldest evidence of presence of the lords of Chastellux on the current site of the castle is an account of a hearing at "the ancient Saint Jean tower in 1116". The hearing was about a property rights dispute between local barons and clergy of the Abbey of Molesme. For ten centuries, the castle of Chastellux did not stop growing, embellished and restored by successive generations of the family. Planted on a rocky peak surmounting the

, its strategic location helped to protect the castle from attack. Located on the borders of the Yonne and

Nièvre Nièvre () is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, central-east France. Named after the river Nièvre, it had a population of 204,452 in 2019.Burgundy Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. The ...

, being an independent duchy at the time. Tour_saint_jean

In the twelfth century, the castle became a fortress, composed of tall towers linked by a thick

battlement A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at inter ...

and guarded by a walkway. Wooden buildings are backed along the walls. They are used for livestock housing and the storage of

animal feed Animal feed is food given to domestic animals, especially livestock, in the course of animal husbandry. There are two basic types: fodder and forage. Used alone, the word ''feed'' more often refers to fodder. Animal feed is an important input to ...

. Comfort was nonexistent and homes played a very minor role compared to the "defensive" role of the fortress. The tower of St. John is the last remnant of this fortress. The tower, one of the oldest in Europe, consists of five levels. The staircase leading to the floors was cut into the thickness of the wall (a thickness of 3.5 meters at ground level). On the second floor is a prison officer and a dungeon accessed through an opening in the floor. The roof is topped with a

lantern A lantern is an often portable source of lighting, typically featuring a protective enclosure for the light sourcehistorically usually a candle or a wick in oil, and often a battery-powered light in modern timesto make it easier to carry and h ...

containing the warning bell, to alert the castle inhabitants of impending danger. For additional protection, there was a second wall with several smaller towers, two of which still exist today. A ditch joining the two valleys close this second wall is no longer present. In the 13th century, out of necessity, a larger building was built. The year 1240 was inscribed on stone walls, providing a date of construction of the guard room, which is the second oldest structure (after the tower of Saint-Jean). The scaffolding of tower of the Ermitage and the Archives still exists today. On the west side a

keep A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in ...

was created as well as an archives tour and the defensive tower of Amboise. Throughout the history of the lords Chastellux remained near the Dukes of Burgundy and fought with them especially during the fall of Paris in 1417. The

marshall of France Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1 ...

, Claude de Chastellux defeated the Franco-Scottish army at the

Battle of Cravant The Battle of Cravant was fought on 31 July 1423, during the Hundred Years' War between English and French forces at the village of Cravant in Burgundy, at a bridge and ford on the banks of the river Yonne, a left-bank tributary of the Seine, ...

in 1423. This victory allowed him to receive several honorary privileges, such as the title of first hereditary canon of the Auxerre Chapter. He is buried in the chapel within the castle. Over the last fifteen years of his life, the Marshal of Chastellux enlarged the second main building located between the tower of the Archives and the bastion of the tower of Amboise and built the Octagonal Tower and the castle chapel.

Modern times

In 1592, Olivier de Chastellux, Quarré Baron, Viscount of

Avallon Avallon () is a commune in the Yonne department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in central-eastern France. Name Avallon, Latin ''Aballō'', ablative ''Aballone'', is ultimately derived from Gaulish ''*Aballū'', oblique ''*Aballon-'' meaning "App ...

, and governor of

Cravant, Yonne Cravant () is a former commune in the Yonne department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in north-central France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the new commune Deux Rivières.bastion A bastion or bulwark is a structure projecting outward from the curtain wall of a fortification, most commonly angular in shape and positioned at the corners of the fort. The fully developed bastion consists of two faces and two flanks, with fi ...

located at the end of the castle near the Tower of Amboise, Tower of Amboise was converted into a living quarters at this time. He also built a

terrace Terrace may refer to: Landforms and construction * Fluvial terrace, a natural, flat surface that borders and lies above the floodplain of a stream or river * Terrace, a street suffix * Terrace, the portion of a lot between the public sidewalk an ...

that surrounded the castle. Until the end of the reign of

Louis XIII Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown ...

, the castle remained a fortress with a large garrison. In 1615 the

Prince of Conde A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

ordered the establishment of a company of 100 trained

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and m ...

and a company of 60 cavalry and the establishment of its castle and place of Chastellux. The castle site made for a strategic location for the defense of Burgundy. Hercules, son of Oliver, was elected to the nobility of Burgundy States in 1618. In 1621, to demonstrate his esteem and gratitude for services rendered and for those of his father, Louis XIII meets the various strongholds in Chastellux. He meets with the lordship of Chastellux, the barony of Quarré-les-Tombes, Yonne and the Viscount of Avallon in county of Chastellux. In 1780,

François-Jean de Chastellux François Jean de Beauvoir, Marquis de Chastellux (; 5 May 1734, in Paris – 24 October 1788, in Paris), was a military officer who served during the War of American Independence as a major general in the French expeditionary forces led by gener ...

participates in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of ...

with George Washington. He explored the country and studied its diversity and later published reference books on his travels. He entered the

Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

in 1775. He is also known for being one of the first in France to receive and successfully test the vaccine against smallpox. In 1786, on the death of his father-in-law, the Duke of Duras, Henri-Georges the count of Chastellux took command of the horsemen in honor to Princess Victoire, daughter of

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached ...

, and begins his service. In anticipation of looming threats of the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

, the princesses of France flee Italy in February 1791. They asked the Chastellux to accompany them, while the children of Henri-Georges stay in

Autun Autun () is a subprefecture of the Saône-et-Loire department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of central-eastern France. It was founded during the Principate era of the early Roman Empire by Emperor Augustus as Augustodunum to give ...

. The castle suffered considerable damage during the revolution. Revolutionaries vandalized the castle: all the old medieval weapons were stolen in 1792, the winery was looted and auctioned. On 5 August 1793, the furniture and archives were seized, paintings, priceless, are burned on August 10 at place Saint-Julien Avallon, currently the site of City Hall. The furniture was stolen, sold, and dispersed. All traces of the family

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visua ...

, found on woodwork, painting or a decorative element were promptly destroyed.

Contemporary times

After nineteen years of exile in Italy, the Earl and Countess of Chastellux did not return to inhabit the castle at the end of the Empire (1810). Their daughter, Georgine Chastellux became the wife of Charles de la Bédoyère. Charles de la Bédoyère helps Napoleon from his return from the island of

Elba Elba ( it, isola d'Elba, ; la, Ilva) is a Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino on the Italian mainland, and the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago. It is also part of the Arcipelago Toscano Nation ...

and consequently

Louis XVIII Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. He spent twenty-three years in e ...

makes charges for his arrest. After the fall of

Waterloo Waterloo most commonly refers to: * Battle of Waterloo, a battle on 18 June 1815 in which Napoleon met his final defeat * Waterloo, Belgium, where the battle took place. Waterloo may also refer to: Other places Antarctica * King George Island ...

, Louis XVIII shot Charles La Bédoyère on August 19, 1815, in Paris, despite the friendship between the monarch and the house of Chastellux. Under the

Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration *Restoration ecology ...

, the brother of Georgine, César Laurent Chastellux renovates the castle and the grounds. He removed the decorative additions of the eighteenth century and fully restored its medieval decor. In 1940, General

Jean de Lattre de Tassigny Jean Joseph Marie Gabriel de Lattre de Tassigny (2 February 1889 – 11 January 1952) was a French général d'armée during World War II and the First Indochina War. He was posthumously elevated to the dignity of Marshal of France in 1952. As ...

briefly took over the castle with his staff and forced the Earl and Countess of Chastellux to leave. However, the Earl and Countess of Chastellux return after three months of absence. In 1975: a chimney fire set fire to the roof and attic. The tower of Amboise still bears the traces of this fire, with the absence of a roof. Several films were shot at the Château de Chastellux during the 20th century. These include ''

Mon oncle Benjamin ''Mon oncle Benjamin'' (''My Uncle Benjamin'') is a 1969 French film directed by Édouard Molinaro, starring Jacques Brel and Claude Jade. The film is based on a once-popular French comic novel ' by Claude Tillier (1842). The 1969 film '' Don' ...

'' (1969), ''L'épingle noire'' (1982), ''Le fantôme du lac'' (2004).

Protection

The castle, not including the tour of Saint-Jean, was registered as a monument historique since 10 November 1925. The Saint-Jean tower has been classified as historical monument since 10 November 1976. The collection of facades and roofs of the outbuildings, terraces and basement, were classified as a historic monument on 17 February 1989. The castle and its surroundings are a protected site and a site registered by order of 9 September 1935.

Visiting

The castle is privately owned but has been open to visitors since 2008.

References

* Abbé Jacques-François Baudiau: " '' Le Morvand '' ". 3^e Ed:Guénégaud, Paris 1965. t.III. p. 143-179.

External links

*
Official website of Château de Chastellux
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chastellux, Chateau de Monuments historiques of Yonne Castles in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté