Treaty of Paris 1355 (≈ 1355)
Meeting of the Faucigny at the Savoie.
XIVe siècle
Initial construction
Initial construction XIVe siècle (≈ 1450)
Western part and built defensive towers.
1578
Expansion by the Dufresneys
Expansion by the Dufresneys 1578 (≈ 1578)
East extension and family coat of arms affixed.
1740
Acquisition by the Octenier
Acquisition by the Octenier 1740 (≈ 1740)
Interior rehabilitation in the 18th century.
XIXe siècle
Modernisations
Modernisations XIXe siècle (≈ 1865)
Window drilling and addition of stables.
2024
MH classification
MH classification 2024 (≈ 2024)
Registration of the castle and its barn.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The Château de la Comtesse with its barn, in its entirety, located 231 rue de la Comtesse, with the right of way of the land on which it is built, namely the following parcels, section A: No. 2955, No. 3175, No. 3166, as delimited in pink on the plan annexed to the decree: inscription by order of 27 December 2024
Key figures
Bonne de Berry - Countess of Savoy
Wife of Amédée VII, possible reference.
Famille Dufresney - Owners (XVI century)
Expansion and addition of the coat of arms.
Famille Octenier - Owners (from 1740)
Interior repairs and stables.
Origin and history
The Château de la Comtesse, located in Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, is a strong house whose oldest part dates back to the 14th century. Oriented west-east, it is built of stone and covered with sheet metal. The western part, the oldest, initially consisted of four rooms (guard room, archives, large room and seigneurial chamber), flanked by three round towers and a square, some of which carried murderers. An entrance door to the south facade, surmounted by the Dufresney family coat of arms dated 1578, and a sundial testify to the transformations of the 16th century.
In the 16th century, the Dufresney family, local notables having acquired charges in Montjoie's castle, enlarged the castle eastward. This extension, unaligned in relation to the medieval part, communicates with it through internal doors. The floor sill windows also date from this period. The building is then a strong house linked to the feudal rights of the family, which acquired it with the surrounding noble lands.
In the 18th century, the Octenier family, notaries, bought the castle in 1740 and renovated the interiors with elements of prestige: marble fireplaces, woodwork, French ceilings, and painted canvases. The ground floor windows were pierced in the 19th century, and stables surmounted by a barn were added to the east. The castle, still owned by the descendants of the Octners, preserves traces of these three landmark periods: the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the Enlightenment.
The history of the castle is linked to the châtellenie de Montjoie, whose administrative center moves to Saint-Gervais after the treaty of 1355, bringing together the Faucigny à la Savoie. The name "Château de la Comtesse" probably refers to Bonne de Berry, wife of Count Amédée VII de Savoie (1360–1391), although this attribution remains hypothetical. The monument, classified entirely with its barn and land, illustrates the evolution of a strong house in seigneurial residence, then in bourgeois residence.
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