Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Quincize Castle is an emblematic building located in Blisses, in the Nièvre department in the Burgundy-Franche-Comté region. Built in the second half of the 17th century and redesigned in the 18th century, it is distinguished by its classical architecture, composed of a two-storey house body with attices, flanked by two round towers and a pavilion. Together, covered with flat tiles, opens onto a wide viewway, typical of the aristocratic homes of the time. The estate includes outbuildings, an orange shop, ordered gardens, a terraced garden, as well as a hydraulic system feeding ponds and ponds.

The castle is associated with Simon-Pierre Sautereau, a timber merchant who acquired it in 1759. He undertook important work: he cleared the existing manor house (renovation between 1635 and 1660), built a wing of communes, and built the terraces, the vegetable garden and its hydraulic network. It was also created under his direction, as a landmark in the landscape. These transformations reflect the influence of wealthy bourgeois or merchant owners, able to modernize estates inherited from the aristocracy.

The castle of Quincize enjoyed protection under the Historical Monuments in two stages: an inscription on 21 February 1994 (concerning the castle, the communes, and the facades/roofs of orangery), followed by a classification on 12 October 1995 for its gardens, beds, retaining walls, park, and hydraulic elements. These measures highlight the heritage value of the ensemble, combining architecture, landscapes and social history.

The gardens, structured in beds and terraces, illustrate the art of the French gardens, while the vegetable garden and the fence walls testify to an agricultural organization integrated into the estate. The basin, meadow and pond, linked to the water supply, reveal a technical mastery characteristic of the eighteenth century. The former orchard and the entrance gate, included in the ranking, complete this painting of a domain both residential, productive and aesthetic.

Today, Quincize Castle remains a significant example of Burgundy heritage, mixing architectural heritage and preserved landscapes. Its history reflects the social changes of the Old Regime, where the rising bourgeoisie, like the Saucereau, invests in noble properties to display their status. Double protection (registration and classification) guarantees the conservation of this site, while offering a material testimony of the know-how of the 17th and 18th centuries.

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