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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Bourlémont Castle, located in Frebécourt in the Vosges, is a medieval building built on a promontory at an altitude of 400 metres, overlooking the confluence of the Meuse and the Saônelle. Its origin dates back to the 11th century, but it was in the 12th century that the bishops of Toul built a first modest castle, in response to the fortification of Neufchâteau by the Dukes of Lorraine. Occupied by gunmen led by Brixey's family, he became a seigneury mentioned for the first time in 1184.

In the 13th century, Joffroy de Bourlémont, Senechal of Navarre, rebuilt the castle after his return from the Holy Land, maintaining its strategic location to protect Domrémy. The large round towers visible today date from this period. The seigneury died in 1412 with Pierre de Bourlémont, the year of the birth of Joan of Arc, whose history is linked to that of Béatrice de Bourlémont, cited during the trial of the rehabilitation of the saint in 1456.

The castle then passed into the hands of the Barons d'Anglure, who transformed it between the 15th and 16th centuries: building a two-storey house, a flamboyant Gothic chapel (Saint Vincent), and a southern wing. During the Wars of Religion, murderers were added for artillery. In the 19th century, the family of Alsace-Hénin-Liétard converted it into a pleasant residence, with an English park designed by Paul de Lavenne de Chulot. In the 20th century, the family of Rohan-Chabot rearranged the gardens in a classic style, under the direction of Achille Duchêne.

In 1977, the castle was partially classified as a Historic Monument for its facades, roofs, chapel and remarkable ceiling. After two centuries under the Rohan-Chabot, it was sold in 2024 to the Oudin family, who undertook work to make it a tourist destination (rooms, receptions) from 2025. Since August 2024, he has been offering public events such as candlelight parties.

The castle preserves a feudal aspect marked by four round towers with "pipper" roofs on the east side, while the house bodies of the sixteenth century border an inner courtyard. The flamboyant Gothic chapel of Saint Vincent houses seigneurial tombs. The park, redesigned in the 19th century, combines meadows, groves and alleyways, with a French garden added in the 1930s.

His story is closely linked to that of Jeanne d'Arc, born in nearby Domrémy, and to noble families such as the Brixey, the Anglure or the Rohan-Chabot. Today, it combines medieval heritage, Renaissance transformations and landscape developments, while opening up to the public for visits and cultural activities.

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