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Origin and history

The château du Châtelard, formerly known as Castellarium, is a 14th century fortified house located in the town of d'Yenne, Savoie. Built on a nipple overlooking the valley, it was the centre of the Chatelard seigneury in the Middle Ages. Its ruins, 2.8 km away from the village, testify to its strategic importance, although distinct from the nearby strong house linked to Charles Dullin.

In the 14th century, the Chevelu family owned it: Galois de Chevelu paid tribute to Amédée VIII de Savoie in 1408. By marriage, the fief passed to the Seyssel, then to the Châtelard in the 15th–12th centuries. Claude de Seyssel, seigneur in 1441, strengthened his fortifications with the help of the inhabitants of Chevelu and d'Yenne, as evidenced by the contracts of that time.

The seigneury changed hands in the 16th century via marriage alliances: the Graniers, then the Seyssel-Châtelard, became their owners. In 1600, during the Franco-Savoyard war, Henry IV's troops destroyed the house. François-Annibal de Seyssel, the last notable lord, settled after the war in a second strong house nearby, where he died in 1647.

The estate then passed to the Cordon (18th century), then to the Dullin, family of actor Charles Dullin, born in the nearby strong house. In the 20th century, only a few walls remained. Today, the ruins recall its role in Savoyard feudal history, while the second strong house, still standing, belongs to the Dupasquier family.

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