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Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Cornillon, built in the early 11th century, was originally a summative monitoring post on a rocky hill overlooking Saint-Rambert-en-Bugey and its abbey. Its name, derived from the Latin corniculum (promontory), reflects its strategic geographical position. A watchtower was added by the abbey to monitor the Albarin road, a passage vulnerable to invasions.

In 1196, the abbey of Saint-Rambert, unable to defend his land alone against the neighboring seigneuries (Coligny, Thoire-Villars), signed a betting treaty with Count Thomas I of Savoy. The castle, ceded for perpetuity to the Savoy, is rebuilt in stone and equipped with fortifications, provided that it is never alienated from the county or given in dowry. The count undertook to maintain a garrison there. This pact marks the integration of Saint-Rambert and Cornillon into the Savoyard domain.

In the 13th century, the castle became an issue of Delphino Savoyard conflicts. In 1252, Count Pierre de Savoie handed him over to his brother Guillaume, who illegally bequeathed him to Béatrice de Savoie, wife of the Dauphin of Vienna. Recaptured by the county after his death, Cornillon remained a key bastion until the 14th century. Around 1304, it was the last Savoyard bulwark before Pont-d The Treaty of Paris (1355), putting an end to the Delphino-Savoyard war, reduced its strategic importance.

The decline accelerated after 1601, when the Treaty of Lyon linked Bugey to France. To prevent any Savoyard reconquest, Marshal de Biron ordered the dismantling of Cornillon, like that of Saint-Germain. The ruins, partially restored in the 21st century, are limited to a tower, a dungeon and remains of buildings. The Association des Amis du Canton de Saint-Rambert is working on their development, despite the absence of extensive archaeological excavations.

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