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Key figures

Origin and history

Château de la Rochette is a castle built in the 12th century on a rocky promontory overlooking the town of La Rochette, in Savoie. Built to monitor the roads of the Gelon Valley, it draws its name from the "rock" on which it is located. His first known lord, Hugon de Rocheta (or Hugues de La Rochette), was mentioned in 1153 and co-founded in 1170 the Chartreuse de Saint-Hugon at Arvillard.

In the 17th century, the castle was at the heart of military conflicts. In 1597, Henri IV sent François de Bonne de Lesdiguières besiege La Rochette: the city fell on 14 July and the castle two days later. In 1630 Louis XIII ordered a new siege and the destruction of the castle. After the French Revolution, the site was occupied by revolutionary troops, and then restored in the 19th century by Maurice-Philibert Rey, who added scauguettes in 1877.

The medieval remains still visible include a round tower to the northeast and traces of a ditch to the south, overhanged by a stone bridge probably replacing an old drawbridge. In the 20th century, the castle became departmental property and then communal, housing a medico-educational institute until 2021. Its strategic location, at the Gelon loop, made it a key checkpoint for the region.

The castle illustrates the architectural and political transformations of Savoy, marked by phases of destruction and restoration. Its history reflects the military and religious stakes of the region, from the Middle Ages to its integration into France in 1792. Today, there remains a testimony of local dynamics, between medieval heritage and modern reuse.

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