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Origin and history

Chanaz's fort house, known as the Grande Maison de Boigne, is a 13th century medieval building, profoundly redesigned in the 17th century. It was the heart of the seigneury of Chanaz, raised in marquisat, and stands in the village of Chanaz, Savoie. Originally, this strong house belonged to the family of Mareste, which made it a place of local power. In 1442 André de Mareste acquired property in Chanaz, and his son, François, officially recognized the strong house in 1486. In the 16th century, Claude de Mareste-Chevelu expanded the estate by buying the fortified house of La Court in 1529.

In 1598, the house hosted a significant event: Alexander of Medici, the pope's legatee, stopped there to sign the peace of Vervins and received there the Duke of Savoy. The Mareste family retained the seigneury until 1744, when Françoise Vulliet de la Sauneière, widow of the Marquis de Lucey, gave the estate to Jean-Baptiste Muffat, Count of Saint-Amour. The property then passed into the hands of the Sauneière family, then, at the beginning of the 19th century, to the Boigne family, already owner of the Lucey castle.

In the 19th century, the strong house changed its vocation: first it housed the royal carabinieri, then, after the attachment of Savoy to France in 1860, it became a primary school for boys and housed its teacher. At the end of the century, its outbuildings served as a community space for harvest, wheat threshing and silkworm breeding. After decades, it was bought by the commune in 1969 and restored to the town hall in 1988.

Architecturally, the Grande Maison de Boigne is an imposing three-storey square building on the ground floor, made of stone, with a four-paned roof covered with tiles. It preserves medieval elements such as a third-point door of the 13th century and 16th-century sled windows. The façade, which was rebuilt in the 17th century, incorporates these ancient remains. The estate also includes an abandoned dovecote and a still functional bread oven, formerly shared by the village's families.

Since 1980, facades, roofs, terraces, bread oven, interior staircase and three fireplaces have been listed in the Historic Monuments. Today, the house houses the municipal services of Chanaz, perpetuating its central role in local life, a few meters from the Savières Canal.

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