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Ensemble castral du Montellier au Montellier dans l'Ain

Patrimoine classé
Patrimoine défensif
Demeure seigneuriale
Château fort
Ain

Ensemble castral du Montellier

    Grande Rue
    01800 Le Montellier
Ensemble castral du Montellier
Ensemble castral du Montellier
Ensemble castral du Montellier
Ensemble castral du Montellier
Ensemble castral du Montellier
Ensemble castral du Montellier
Ensemble castral du Montellier
Ensemble castral du Montellier
Ensemble castral du Montellier
Crédit photo : Benoît Prieur (1975–) Autres noms Nom de naissance - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Moyen Âge central
Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1200
1300
1400
1500
1600
2000
1227
First mention of the castle
1327
Transfer to the dolphin of Vienna
1331
Reconstruction by the Thoire-Villars
1583
Erection in marquisat
17 juin 2003
Historical monument classification
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

In total, to be preserved and rehabilitated, the castral complex comprising the constructions and the soils, including the land right-of-way of the glacis and ditches (cf. A 176, 183, 184, 192): classification by decree of 17 June 2003

Key figures

Bermond de Montellier - Medieval Lord First known member (1187).
Guichard VI de Beaujeu - Feudal Lord Ceded the castle in 1327.
Jean de Villars - Heir and reconstructor Receive the castle in 1331.
Jacqueline de Montbel d’Entremont - Marquise du Montellier Obtains the erection in marquisat (1583).
Béatrix de Coligny - Heir and wife Forward the fief to the Meulion (1600).

Origin and history

The château du Montellier, located in the Ain 1 km north of the village, is an ancient castle of the 13th and 14th centuries, renovated in the 16th and 17th centuries. It was the centre of the seigneury of the Montellier, erected as a marquisate in 1588. Its oldest brick parts include a cylindrical dungeon on a truncated motte, a trapezoidal house flanked by round towers, and an exterior enclosure with ditches and square towers built around 1330. A chapel and a hall complete the whole south side.

The first mention of the "Château et Poype" (castral motte) dates back to 1227, linked to the family of Montellier, vassale des sires de Thoire-Villars. In 1227, Étienne I of Thoire-Villars undertook the tribute of the land to Humbert V of Beaujeu, confirmed by his successors in 1253 and 1271. In 1327, Guichard VI de Beaujeu gave his rights to the dolphin of Vienna. The seigneury then passed to the Villars (1331), then by alliances with the families of Chiel, Grolée, and Montbel, before being erected as a marquisat in 1583 for Jacqueline de Montbel d-Entremont.

In the 14th century, Odes de Villars shared the seigneury with Guillaume d'Ars, coseigneur. The Montbels retained the fief until the 17th century, when Béatrix de Coligny (granddaughter of the Admiral) brought him in marriage to the Baron of Meulion. The castle, classified as a historical monument in 2003, then passes to the L-Hospital, Chevriers, then to the Greppo family (1781), ancestors of the present owners. Its architecture, marked by faux-braies and a low-court with towers, makes it a major witness of medieval fortifications in Bresse-Dombes.

External links