Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The stands of the Châtillon forest, located mainly in Buncy and in four other communes of Côte-d的Or, date from the 14th and 17th centuries. They define the state forest of Châtillon, one of the largest in Burgundy, covering nearly 9,000 hectares. These stones, numbering sixty-four recorded, carry on one side the ducal or royal weapons (according to their time: Valois in the 14th century, then royal domain after 1477) and, on the other side, those of the adjoining owners: local seigneuries, convents or communes. Their role was both legal, marking borders, and symbolic, affirming the authority of the Dukes and then the King in this strategic forest territory.

The oldest boundary dates back to the period of the Dukes of Valois (XIVth century), when the forest was a major economic and cynegetic issue, linked to regional monasticism (Cistercians, Chartreux, Templiers). After the meeting of the Duchy of Burgundy in the royal domain in 1477 under Louis XI, the existing pillars were preserved and completed, especially in the seventeenth century. These stony brands, classified as Historic Monument since 1927 (with additions in 2012), illustrate the evolution of local authorities and forest management throughout the centuries. Their presence on the roads also reflects the medieval and modern spatial organization, where the forest was at once resourceful, hunting ground and place of conflict, as evidenced by the Battle of 1944.

The Châtillon forest, which is now part of the Champagne and Burgundy Forest National Park (created in 2019), retains these boundaries as tangible remains of its history. Their iconography — ducal or royal weapons on one side, seigneurial or ecclesiastical coats of arms on the other — offers an overview of past territorial dynamics. These stones, scattered over five communes (Buncey, Maisey-le-Duc, Nod-sur-Seine, Saint-Germain-le-Rocheux, Villiers-le-Duc), also recall the central role of the forest in the local economy, from the exploitation of wood to the hunting, activity still practised today thanks to the Abbey of Val des Choues.

Beyond their practical function, these pillars symbolize the transition between the Burgundian power and the French royal authority. Their preservation, despite centuries and conflicts (such as the potential destruction during the Second World War), underscores their heritage importance. Ranked among the Historical Monuments, they are now protected and studied for their historical, artistic (heraldic sculptures) and documentary value, offering a unique testimony on the management of forest spaces in pre-modern and modern Europe.

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