Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The manor house of Savigny-lès-Beaune, also known as the manor house of Nicolay or domaine of Chandon de Briailles, is a castle built between the end of the seventeenth century and the beginning of the eighteenth century, completed in 1705. It embodies the Louis XIV style, with influences marked by André Le Nôtre, visible in its terraces, its rounded stairs, its sculptures (sphinx, lions) and its French garden, embellished with basins and an orangery. To the right of the courtyard of honour, a chapel with preserved interior decorations completes the architectural ensemble. The estate also includes a cave decorated with statues (Mercury, Isis, Diane) and symmetrical commons surrounding the courtyard, with a monumental porch giving access to the property from the street.

Acquired in 1834 by the Count of Nicolay, the manor remained in his progeny until today. His history is also related to Denis Théreau, seigneur of Bouilland, for whom he was probably built between 1690 and 1705. A management style edicle, formerly bathroom, and a stone-cut greenhouse testify to the later additions. The estate, classified as a historical monument since 1968 (and then by a new decree in 2024), welcomed personalities such as Queen Mother Elisabeth of England in 1976, highlighting her prestige.

The architecture of the mansion combines classical rigor and baroque elegance: coated facades with chains of stone angles, carved pediments, segmental arch windows, and roofs covered with flat tiles. The property, closed with walls, is organized around a courtyard and a structured garden, reflecting the art of the French gardens of the Grand Century. The commons, with their Mansart roofs and square wings, as well as the monumental triangular pediment gate, reinforce the harmony of the whole, typical of the aristocratic residences of the time.

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