Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Saint-Saturnin, built in the 13th century, was renovated in the 14th and 15th centuries by the Barons of La Tour d'Auvergne. This medieval fortress, surrounded by triple enclosures and flanked by crenellated towers, overlooks the Monna gorges of about 40 meters. Its dungeon and its round path offer a wide panorama of the surrounding area, while its house body, framed by two towers of the 14th–15th centuries, bears witness to its architectural evolution.

In 1519, Catherine de Medici, Countess of Auvergne, acquired the castle and brought there major embellishments, including a French garden. The royal history was written there in 1566, when the Queen of France, her son Charles IX and their court stayed there, followed in 1586 by a brief passage by Marguerite de Valois ("Queen Margot") before her exile. The baronie then exchanged hands in 1668, passing to the Broglie family.

In the 19th to 20th centuries, the castle changed its vocation under the administration of the Sisters of Saint Vincent de Paul: transformed into a chocolate factory, then an orphanage and a house of convalescence, it underwent changes, such as the partial destruction of its northern fortifications around 1970. Protected since 1889 (partial classification) and completed in 1992 (registration of moats, gardens and terraces), it is today a private property furnished in guest rooms and open to the visit.

The architecture of the castle reveals its dual heritage: a medieval fortress with machicoulis and niches, and a Renaissance residence marked by the amenities of Catherine de Medici. The masonated moat, remains of the defensive system, still surround gardens once organized in the grounds. The site, situated south of Notre Dame Church, remains a testimony to the changes in a building between seigneurial power, monastic life and contemporary tourism.

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