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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Baye, located in the eponymous commune of the department of Marne (Grand Est), finds its origins in a tradition dating back to the fifth century, where the birth of Saint Alpin is evoked. The first attested lords date from the 11th century, but it was at the beginning of the 13th that its documented history began with the construction of the chapel between 1205 and 1220 by Simon I of Châteauvillain, lord of Baye. This chapel, still intact, preserves 13th century stained glass windows and bears witness to the importance of Baye as Barony of Champagne County. The archives scattered in 1934 limited the precise knowledge of the first construction campaigns, although fortification works were mentioned in the 14th and 15th centuries.

In the 15th century, the Bethune family, including John II of Bethune-Locres, heir to the seigneury, undertook major works, perhaps a total reconstruction. The castle then passed into the hands of François de Clèves, Duke of Nivernais, in the sixteenth century, during which time a two-storey gallery and towers equipped with cannon guns were added. Claude Chastillon drew a view at the end of this century. In 1603, the Duchess of Guise, Catherine de Clèves, sold it to Jean Delon Delorme, who modernized the south wing before its resale in 1660 to Pierre Larcher, without significant modifications.

The most significant transformation took place at the beginning of the 18th century under Étienne Berthelot de Pléneuf and his son Francis II, who modernized the facades, added a triangular pediment and built a large staircase. In the 19th century, the Berthelot de Baye concentrated on the management of the estate, while the gallery housed the archaeological collections of Joseph Berthelot de Baye. In 1950, the castle was very dilapidated and was given to the Charitable Homes, which restored it by raising the north wing and modifying the interiors. Only the chapel, classified as a historic monument in 1923, has maintained its integrity for 800 years.

The stained glass windows of the chapel of Saint-Alpin, dated 1205-1220, represent biblical scenes such as the Passion of Christ or the Tree of Jesse. Deposed in 1939 and restored in 1966, they illustrate the style of the workshops of Laonnois and Soissonnais. Their exceptional conservation, like that of the chapel with a single nave and apse to seven sides, makes it a rare testimony of primitive Gothic art in Champagne.

The architectural history of the castle reflects the political and social evolutions of the region: medieval lords such as the Châteauvillains or the Bethunes, linked to the nobility of Champagne, to bourgeois families of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries (Larcher, Berthelot de Pleneuf). The successive transformations, from medieval fortifications to classical symmetries, show a constant adaptation to the needs and tastes of its owners, while preserving ancient elements such as the chapel.

Today, Baye Castle, although profoundly redesigned, remains a significant example of the Champagne heritage, combining medieval heritage and changes in modern and contemporary times. His occupation by the Charitable Homes since 1950 offered him a new vocation, while ensuring the preservation of his most precious element: the chapel and its stained glass windows, classified among the artistic treasures of the Marne.

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