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Origin and history

The castle of Virieu-le-Grand, also called the castle of Honoré d'Urfé, is an old 11th century castle, built in 1077 by Aimée de Savoie on the site of a Roman temple. It was the centre of the lordship of Virieu, then the county of Châteauneuf and the Marquisate of Valromey. This strategic site, located in the present department of Ain, originally belonged to the Counts of Savoie, who gave it over by marriage alliances and successive financial commitments.

Over the centuries, the castle changed hands several times, passing from the Counts of Savoy to the family of Beaujeu, then to Louis de Savoie, Baron de Vaud, before being subdued to various lords like Pierre de Gerbais or Nicolas Rolin, chancellor of Burgundy. In 1582 Renée de Savoie, Marquise de Bâgé and wife of Jacques d'Urfé, obtained the erection of the seigneury in the county under the name of Châteauneuf. This estate was then passed on to their son, Jacques Paillard d'Urfé, and then to Honoré d'Urfé, the famous author of L'Astrée, for whom the county was erected as a Marquisate of Valromey in 1612.

The castle experienced a gradual decline after the seventeenth century. It was burned in 1726, leaving only ruins, now protected as historical monuments since 1935. The remains, including a tower, testify to its historic importance in the region, linked to noble families such as the Savoy, Beaujeu and Urfé. The site remains a symbol of the medieval and reborn heritage of Ain, marked by partial reconstructions in the 15th century.

Among the notable events were the participation of Humbert V de Beaujeu in the seventh crusade in 1248, financed by a loan from the Comte de Savoie, as well as the multiple transactions and infeodations that illustrate the political and matrimonial strategies of the noble families of the region. The castle was also the supposed framework of the editorial work of L-Astrée by Honoré d-Urfé, although this anecdote is more of tradition than historical certainty.

Architecturally, the castle of Virieu-le-Grand reflects an evolution between its initial defensive function (XI century) and subsequent developments, especially in the 15th century. The present ruins, though fragmentary, allow to imagine its central role in the feudal and seigneurial organization of Valromey, between Savoy, Burgundy and Dauphiné. Its history is closely linked to the territorial dynamics and alliances of the great families of the time.

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