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Origin and history

The Old Bourg de L'Accommodation-Clémenciat is a medieval site located on a hill in the municipality of the same name, in the department of Ain. This site, of a fossil-shaped oval (190 × 130 m), includes a 45 m diameter, a 70 × 50 m adjacent platform, and a 140 m long growing second platform. The remains include a 15th century round tower, 14th century enclosure walls flanked by five towers (three of which remain), a poterne, a 16th-17th century church, and rural buildings. The cemetery, adjacent to the church, was used until the 19th century. The site has been listed as a Historic Monument since 1994, and its castral mottes (known as the Feole Poype and Peage Poype) have been protected since 2015.

The first written records of the site date back to 1250, in a foal of the diocese of Lyon. At the beginning of the 14th century, the Sires de Chabeu, lords of Saint-Trivier-en-Dombes, established a new fortified site after having succeeded the family of Clémenciat. In 1304 Jacques de Chabeu, knight, paid tribute to the Church of Lyon for the seigneury. In 1338 his grandson gave up the castle and its outbuildings to Galois de La Baume, seigneur de Montrevel-en-Bresse, vassal des sires de Beaujeu. In 1342 Guillaume de La Baume took the oath for the castle to the Count of Savoy, marking his attachment to this power. In 1372, the seigneury was disputed between the Sir of Beaujeu and the Count of Savoie, reflecting the feudal tensions of the time.

The excavations and observations of the 20th century revealed a round tower called Tour-Chabeu (15th century), partially water ditches, and a 20 m wide embankment serving as an external rampart. The brick enclosure, with its quadrangular and circular towers, probably dates from the fourteenth century. The site illustrates the late medieval military architecture, with a castral motte typical of the Dombes region. Four mottes were still visible at the end of the 19th century in the commune, reflecting a dense feudal occupation. The current remains provide an overview of the defensive systems and spatial organization of a seigneurial settlement in the Middle Ages.

The protection of the site extends to the surrounding castral mounds, such as the Feole Poype (west of the eponymous hamlet) and the Peage Poype (near the junction of Routes D64 and D64c). These elements, registered in 2015, complement the understanding of the local defensive network. The Old Bourg, with its church, rural buildings and disused cemetery, embodies both a place of seigneurial power and a centre of medieval community life, before its gradual decline in modern times.

Archaeological and textual sources suggest a potential occupation from the Gallo-Roman era, although the tangible evidence dates back mainly to the fourteenth century. The site, strategically positioned between the Lyon and Savoyard influences, reflects the political dynamics of the medieval Dombes, marked by changes in suzarainity and alliances between noble families. The Sires of Chabeu and La Baume played a central role, as evidenced by feudal acts and architectural remains.

Today, Old Bourg is freely visited, offering a panorama of medieval fortification techniques and the evolution of rural landscapes. Its ranking among the Historical Monuments underlines its heritage importance, both for local history and for the study of castral mots in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Future research could clarify its origins and its role in the 14th-15th century regional conflicts.

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