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Origin and history

The castle of the Marches, originally called the castle of Murs, is an old fortified house built in the 14th century on a strategic nipple of the Savoy Combe, on the border between Savoy County and Dauphiné. Built by Amédée V de Savoie in 1301-1302 in the form of a wooden castle on a motte, it was rebuilt in stone from 1342 by Aymon the Pacific, then completed by his son Amédée VI (the Green Count). This site controlled the roads to Chambéry, Lyon, Grenoble and Italy, playing a key role in the Western defense of Savoy.

From the 15th century, the castle passed into the hands of noble Savoyard families: the Cordon (1346-1392), the La Balme (1403-1442), and the Montmayeur, who added a chapel dedicated to Saint Michael. In 1491 the seigneury was established as a county and united with the fief de Montmayeur. The castle then changed owners, notably the Miolans (1486-1523), before being bought in 1531 by François Noyel de Bellegarde, minister of the Duke of Savoie. This family turned him into a marina and kept him until 1830.

The castle was profoundly reshaped during the Renaissance and on the eve of the Revolution. In 1780-1790, Eugene de Bellegarde built there a festive hall decorated with trompe-l'oeil paintings by the Galliari brothers, classified in 1952. During the Revolution it was the scene of an episode of resistance in 1792 against French troops, before being occupied by General Montesquiou. In the 19th century, it became an orphanage, then a military hospital during the two world wars, before being transformed into a retirement home in 1972.

Architecturally, the castle combines medieval elements (quadrangular enclosure, round towers, thick walls) and Renaissance additions (italian peristyle, ballroom Louis XVI). The north-west facade, flanked by two cylindrical towers, protected the original entrance of the 15th century, while the opposite façade, opened on the Isère valley, was monitored from pepper-flavored. The ramparts and door windows, which were abolished in the 16th century, gave way to wider openings, reflecting its evolution towards a pleasure castle.

La châtellenie des Marches, created in 1301 in the context of conflicts with the Dauphiné, included the parishes of Pierre Grosse, Myans, Saint-André and Les Marches. The Chatelans, officers appointed by the Counts of Savoie, held judicial, fiscal and military functions there. Savoie's departmental archives retain chestnut accounts covering the period 1339-1494, reflecting its administrative and strategic importance.

In the 20th century, the castle, after serving as a domestic school (1950), is still a 90-seat retirement home. Its decorative paintings of the Galliari, restored in 2012-2013, and its classified festive hall make it a major heritage site of Savoy, illustrating almost seven centuries of history between military defense, aristocratic life and social vocations.

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