The Château de Châteauneuf, also known as the Château de Châteauneuf-en-Auxois, is a 15th-century fortress in the ''
commune'' of
Châteauneuf, 43 km from
Dijon
Dijon (, ; ; in Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Digion'') is a city in and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Côte-d'Or Departments of France, department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in eas ...
, in the
Côte-d'Or
Côte-d'Or () is a département in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of Northeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 534,124. ''
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
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. It is a vast stone building, 75 metres in length and 35 metres broad, situated on a rocky outcrop 475 metres above the surrounding plains. It dominates the valley of
Canal de Bourgogne
The Canal de Bourgogne (; English: Canal of Burgundy or Burgundy Canal) is a canal in the Burgundy historical region in east-central France. It connects the Yonne (river), Yonne at Migennes with the Saône at Saint-Jean-de-Losne. Construction beg ...
.
History
The castle was built in 1132 by
Jean de Chaudenay for his son Jehan, who took possession of it in 1175 and became
Jean I de Châteauneuf. Facing the threat of the
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy ...
, the lords of Châteauneuf then built the powerful fortifications around the 12th century keep. After nine generations in the castle, the reign of the Châteauneufs ended in tragedy when in 1456 the last heiress,
Catherine de Châteauneuf, was burnt alive for poisoning her second husband,
Jacques d'Haussonville.
In 1457,
Philippe le Bon, duke of
Burgundy
Burgundy ( ; ; Burgundian: ''Bregogne'') 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. ...
, offered the fortress to his advisor
Philippe Pot
Philippe Pot (1428–1493) was a Duchy of Burgundy, Burgundian nobleman, military leader, and diplomat. He was the ''Lord, seigneur'' of La Rochepot, La Roche and Thorey-sur-Ouche, a Knight of the Golden Fleece, and the Seneschal, Grand Sen ...
, also of the
Order of the Golden Fleece
The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece (, ) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in 1430 in Brugge by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, to celebrate his marriage to Isabella of Portugal, Duchess of Burgundy, Isabella of Portugal. T ...
() and a knight of Saint Michael. He then modified the castle to make it more comfortable as a residence, in keeping with the style of the court of the
Duchy of Burgundy
The Duchy of Burgundy (; ; ) was a medieval and early modern feudal polity in north-western regions of historical Burgundy. It was a duchy, ruled by dukes of Burgundy. The Duchy belonged to the Kingdom of France, and was initially bordering th ...
. A chapel and a residence dated to this time were built out in the court of the castle, in the flamboyant Gothic architectural style. At multiple places in the castle one can find the device of Philippe Pot, ''« Tant L Valt »''.
Philippe died in 1493 without leaving an heir, so the castle went to his brother Guy Pot, then via various alliances to
Marie Liesse de Luxembourg. With their entrance into the convent, the castle then passed to
Charles de Vienne, count of
Comarrin, and remained in the hands of this family for the next 150 years. In 1767,
Louis Henri de Vienne sold the castle to a rich banker.
During the
French Revolution, all royal symbols and armorial bearings were defaced or destroyed. The castle was then auctioned and passed through various hands until 1936, when the count
George de Vogue
George may refer to:
Names
* George (given name)
* George (surname)
People
* George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George
* George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE
* George, stage name of Gior ...
donated it to the state and Châteauneuf and its neighbouring village were declared as protected historical monuments ().
Architecture
The Château de Châteauneuf is a vast stone building, 75 metres in length and 35 metres broad.
See also
*
List of castles in France
This is a list of castles in France, arranged by Regions of France, region and Departments of France, department.
;Notes:
# The French word ''château'' has a wider meaning than the English ''castle'': it includes architectural entities that are p ...
External links
Web-site of the ''Friends of the Châteauneuf-en-Auxois''*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chateauneuf, Chateau De
Castles in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
Historic house museums in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
Museums in Côte-d'Or
Monuments historiques of Côte-d'Or