Château De Villemolin
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The Château de Villemolin is a
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 ...
converted into a stately home in the '' commune'' of
Anthien Anthien () is a commune in the Nièvre ''département'' in central France. Population Sights The Château de Villemolin (15th, 17th and 19th centuries) was a location for the film 2003 '' The Mystery of the Yellow Room'' directed by Bruno ...
in the
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.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. It is located in the
Morvan The Morvan (; historically Morvand from the Latin ''Murvinnum'' 590)Pierre-Henri Billy, ''Dictionnaire des noms de lieux de la France'', éditions Errance, 640 pages, 2011 , is a mountainous massif lying just to the west of the Côte d'Or esc ...
massif A massif () is a principal mountain mass, such as a compact portion of a mountain range, containing one or more summits (e.g. France's Massif Central). In mountaineering literature, ''massif'' is frequently used to denote the main mass of an ...
but not within the
Parc naturel régional du Morvan Morvan Regional Natural Park (, ) is a protected area of woodlands, lakes and traditional farmland in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of central France. It covers a total area of and extends through four different departments with the major ...
. It is, nevertheless, sited less than 2 km away on a hill facing it.


Architecture

The castle was built in the 14th century on the site of a
Gallo-Roman Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization (cultural), Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire in Roman Gaul. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, Roman culture, language ...
villa A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house that provided an escape from urban life. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the f ...
, the ''Villa Molini'', and remodelled and modernised in the 17th and 19th centuries in the shape of a horseshoe. It is flanked by three towers and surrounded by significant outbuildings from the 15th, 17th and 19th centuries. In the
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 ...
chapel (constructed 1830 and remodelled under the Second Empire) is a 15th-century ''
Pietà The Pietà (; meaning "pity", "compassion") is a subject in Christian art depicting the Mary (mother of Jesus), Blessed Virgin Mary cradling the mortal body of Jesus Christ after his Descent from the Cross. It is most often found in sculpture. ...
'' painted on wood, a gift from the
Carthusian The Carthusians, also known as the Order of Carthusians (), are a Latin enclosed religious order of the Catholic Church. The order was founded by Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns. The order has its own rule, called th ...
s of Val-Saint-Georges.


Ownership

Throughout its documented history (since the first half of the 15th century), the building has always been passed down by inheritance and has never been sold. Property of the La Corcelle family (15th century), the castle and lands of Villemolin have passed successively by marriage to the Champignolle and de Bascoing families. The marriage in 1538 of Barbe de Bascoing, heir of Villemolin, to Etienne de Certaines, brought Villemolin into the heritage of the Certaines (known in Nivernais since 1296 and holding ''
fief A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...
s'', among others, near Cervon) who still occupy it. The Château de Villemolin is privately owned with public access. On 16 June 1978, the
French Ministry of Culture The Ministry of Culture () is the ministry (government department), ministry of the Government of France in charge of List of museums in France, national museums and the . Its goal is to maintain the French identity through the promotion and pro ...
added the chapel to the inventory of '' monuments historiques''. The castle itself, the outbuildings and the remainder of the site were added on 9 April 2002.


Cinema

In 2002, the château and its site were used in the films '' The Mystery of the Yellow Room'' and ' directed by Bruno Podalydès.


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 ...


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Villemolin, Chateau de Castles in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Châteaux in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Historic house museums in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Buildings and structures in Nièvre Museums in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Monuments historiques of Nièvre