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Origin and history

The Château de la Bâtie is a former 13th century castle with ruins in the municipality of Vienna, in the department of Isère. It was built on Mount Solomon, a site already fortified by the Romans and reused in the Middle Ages. Archbishop Jean de Bernin ordered its construction around 1225 to strengthen the city's defences.

The castle served as a residence for the archbishops of Vienna until the 14th century, before becoming a royal prison. In 1450, the dolphin Louis made arrangements there, and François I strengthened his defences in 1538 with the bastion Saint-Anne. Damaged during the wars of religion, it was partially shaved in 1633 by order of Richelieu, in accordance with a decision of the Council of State to demolish the Dauphiné forts.

The Vienna compound, of which the Building was part, extended over 7 km with 58 towers and six gates, protecting an area of 200 hectares. The castle, inscribed with historical monuments in 1926, illustrates the evolution of medieval fortifications and their adaptation to the conflicts of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

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