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Origin and history

The Château de Chantemerle, also known as Château de La Bâthie or Saint-Didier, is a former 12th century castle located in the municipality of La Bâthie, Savoie. He served as a summer residence for the archbishops of Tarentaise and dominated the Isère valley, controlling access to the Tarentaise. Its ruins, perched on a rocky ridge, testify to its strategic role in monitoring the communication routes between Tours-en-Savoie and Roche-Cevins.

Built in the middle of the 13th century by Archbishop Rodolphe Grossi, this fortress became the centre of an archepiscopal chestnutry including Beaufort, Saint-Vital, and Cléry. It was built in response to the growing tensions between the archbishops of Tarentaise and the Counts of Savoy, who gradually took control of Conflans. The castle symbolized a retreat position for the archbishops after the loss of this key fortress.

In the 15th century, the castle underwent modifications to adapt to military progress, such as the transformation of murderers into windows and the destruction of mâchicoulis. In 1423 Jean V de Bertrand, then Cardinal Jean d'Arces in 1454, recognized him as a fief. At the Revolution it was declared national. Acquired by the Savoy Department in 1988, he was consolidated and lit up for the 1992 Olympic Winter Games, although his lighting has since been vandalized.

Architecturally, the castle consists of an irregular polygonal enclosure, a 22 meters high cylindrical dungeon, and a 14th century square tower. The dungeon, accessible by an elevated door, was divided into five levels, while an irregular residence tower probably housed the archbishops. The materials used, such as mortar-wrapped bellows, reflect medieval construction techniques.

The first written mention of Saint-Didier, the future site of the castle, dates back to the Golden Bull of Emperor Frédéric Barberousse in 1186. This document, confirmed ten years later, marked the beginning of the affirmation of archiepiscopal power in the region. La Bâthie's châtellenie, organized around the castle, played a key role in the territorial conflicts between the archbishops and the Counts of Savoy, especially for the control of Cléry.

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