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Origin and history

The castle of Promery, also called Premery or Premery, is a fortified house built in the 14th century on the town of Pringy (Haute-Savoie). Its exact origins remain blurred: built perhaps before the 14th century with techniques typical of the 13th-XIVth (rocks linked to the mortar), it belonged first to the Trombert family, then to the Monthoux by undetermined routes. The first written mention dates from 1316, when Pierre de Monthoux signed an act there in "his strong house of Promery". The site, located 1.5 km north of Pringy on the foothills of the hill of Cuvat, overlooks the right bank of Viéran, opposite the château de Monthoux.

The strong house changed hands in 1578 when Humbert de Menthon-Lonay, heir to the Monthoux, sold it for 20,000 florins to René Favre de la Valbonne, a Savoyard magistrate. The latter made it a secondary residence and undertook important works: terrace fittings (early 17th), inscriptions adorned on the walls (including a date of 1626), and interior decoration with family portraits. The estate, including seigneurial rights over the hamlet of Villaret, remained in the Favre family until the 18th century, despite complex succession conflicts after 1693.

In the 18th century, the castle passed to the La Grange (or Lagrange) by marriage, before being confiscated as national property in 1796 during the Revolution. Sold to a Mr. Delatte, it was bought in 1813 by the Lagrange family, then changed hands several times in the 19th century. Damaged by fire, it was restored after 1875. Partially listed at the Historic Monuments in 1951, it preserves Renaissance facades, characteristic roofs, and two protected porters. Its history reflects the changes of the Savoyard nobility, between feudal power and pleasure residence.

The architecture of the castle combines defensive elements (quadrangular enclosure, simulated towers) and comfort facilities (terraces, gardens, Latin or French inscriptions). The west tower houses paintings and portraits of the Favres, while the main entrance, dated 1626, has the family shield "silver to the chevron d'azur" and a welcoming motto. The jurisdictional conflicts with the neighbour château de Monthoux, attested in 1627 and 1707, underline its anchor in local rivalries.

Historical sources, including the work of Colonel Alexis Calliès (1938) and Georges Chapier (1961), reveal a continuing occupation but gaps in its origins. The family of Monthoux, the youngest branch of the Savoyard nobility, resided there until 1578, before the Favre — including René, Senator de Savoie — made it a symbol of their social ascent. The mural inscriptions, called "very unequal value" by Calliès, bear witness to the cultural aspirations of its owners, between humanism and affirmation of status.

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