Château de La Rochepot () is a 12th-century feudal

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 ...

neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...

- Burgundian style, rebuilt in the 15th century. In the 19th century, it was completely restored and covered with glazed burgundy tiles. It is located in the commune of

La Rochepot La Rochepot () is a Communes of France, commune in France in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Côte-d'Or Departments of France, department. It is a part of the canton of Arnay-le-Duc and of the arrondissement of Beaune. It has a hillside castle, convert ...

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.

department,

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 ...

, France.

History

The castle was built in 1180 on the ruins of a castle burnt down in the 11th century. It belonged to

seigneur A seigneur () or lord is an originally feudal title in France before the Revolution, in New France and British North America until 1854, and in the Channel Islands to this day. The seigneur owned a seigneurie, seigneury, or lordship—a form of ...

de Montagu Alexander of Burgundy (1170–1205) (son of

Hugh III, Duke of Burgundy Hugh III (1142 – 25 August 1192) was Duke of Burgundy between 1162 and 1192. As duke, Burgundy was invaded by King Philip II and Hugh was forced to sue for peace. Hugh then joined the Third Crusade, distinguishing himself at Arsuf and Acre, w ...

). Nowadays, these ruins are located in the nearby forest. File:Chateau_de_La_Rochepot_Bourgogne_France.jpg File:Chateau La Rochepot2.JPG File:Chateau La Rochepot3.jpg File:Chateau La Rochepot 02.jpg File:Château de la Rochepot 002.jpg File:Chateau La Rochepot 07.jpg In 1403, having returned from the crusade, seigneur Régnier Pot (Chamberlain to the

Duke of Burgundy Duke of Burgundy () was a title used by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, from its establishment in 843 to its annexation by the Crown lands of France, French crown in 1477, and later by members of the House of Habsburg, including Holy Roman E ...

Philip the Bold Philip II the Bold (; ; 17 January 1342 – 27 April 1404) was Duke of Burgundy and ''jure uxoris'' Count of Flanders, Artois and Burgundy. He was the fourth and youngest son of King John II of France and Bonne of Luxembourg. Philip was th ...

and

Knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

of the Golden Fleece) bought the castle, then called Château de La Roche Nolay. He renamed it after himself and transferred it to his son, seigneur Jacques Pot, who, in turn, transferred it to his son, seigneur

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 ...

. After seigneur Régnier Pot bought the castle,

Pinot noir Pinot noir (), also known as Pinot nero, is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name also refers to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French language, French words fo ...

grapes started being planted in its vicinity – as application of the Decree of

of 1395. In the 16th century, Marshal of France

Anne de Montmorency Anne de Montmorency, duc de Montmorency ( – 12 November 1567) was a French noble, governor, royal favourite and Constable of France during the mid to late Italian Wars and early French Wars of Religion. He served under five French kings (Loui ...

became the owner of the castle (he possessed more than 130 castles). In the 17th century,

Jean François Paul de Gondi Jean François Paul de Gondi, Cardinal de Retz (20 September 1613 – 24 August 1679) was a French churchman, writer of memoirs, and agitator in the Fronde. The Florentine banking and noble Gondi family had been introduced into France by Catheri ...

, the Cardinal de Retz, inherited the castle and, in 1644, he sold it to the cavalier and first President of the Parliament of Burgundy Pierre Legoux de la Berchère. Joseph Blancheton was the last

lord Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power (social and political), power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the Peerage o ...

of the castle. In 1789, during the French Revolution, castle was renamed Château de La Roche Fidèle, declared a national asset, and afterwards was partially destroyed by

vandals The Vandals were a Germanic people who were first reported in the written records as inhabitants of what is now Poland, during the period of the Roman Empire. Much later, in the fifth century, a group of Vandals led by kings established Vand ...

. Left without the

keep A keep 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 castles that were fortified residen ...

, the domain passed from hand to hand. In 1893, Cécile Carnot (the wife of Sadi Carnot, President of the Republic) purchased the ruins and offered them as a gift to her eldest son, infantry colonel Sadi Carnot (1865–1948), who during 26 years carried out a great and meticulous historical restoration in the spirit of the 15th century. In 2013, some parts of the castle were acknowledged as regional historical monuments. In 2014, annex buildings, vineyards and the park were given the status of national monument. In October 2018, the castle was seized by the French government after investigation into an alleged money laundering scheme by Dmytro Malynovskyi, a Ukrainian. Malynovski was arrested after an investigation into a corruption and money laundering scheme in which he purchased and lived in the castle after faking his own death.

References

External links

Official website

History and pictures of Château de La Rochepot
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rochepot, chateau de La Castles in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Châteaux in Côte-d'Or Gothic Revival architecture in France Historic house museums in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Museums in Côte-d'Or Monuments historiques of Côte-d'Or

History

See also

References

External links