Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

Villars-Fontaine Castle is a modern building built on the ruins of an ancient medieval fortress, located on the hill of Vergy. This site once housed a congregation of canons from the collegial chapter of Saint-Denis. In 1609 Henry IV ordered the destruction of the fortress, and the canon buildings were sold to Antoine de Latour, who turned them into a castle. The remains of the 12th century, like the vaulted cellar and cellars, still remain today.

In the 19th century, the castle was bought in 1864 by Pierre Mongeard, before becoming the property of Bernard Hudelot in 1971. The latter, renowned winemaker and oenologist, develops a wine estate of 33 hectares around its native village. The castle, rectangular with three floors and communes including a chapel, illustrates the alliance between historical heritage and Burgundy wine tradition.

The architecture of the castle combines medieval elements, such as vaulted cellars in the middle, with a modern structure. The canon cellar, dated from the 12th century, has arches and square pillars. The croup roofs and the skylights add to the typical character of Burgundian buildings, while the communes, organized in rectangular buildings, house spaces dedicated to domestic and religious life, including a chapel to the south.

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