Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

Morteuil Castle, located in Merceuil in Burgundy-Franche-Comté, is mentioned for the first time in 1481 in an act of donation by François de Ferriere to his brother Jehan, including the seigneury of Morteuil among other lands. This document attests to its medieval existence, although the present building is mostly marked by subsequent reconstructions.

In the 17th century, the castle was cited in a 1618 transaction between Jean-Baptiste Barnadin and Gilbert de la Rozière, seigneur of Roudon, including seigneurial rights over Morteuil. It was then thoroughly reshaped in the 18th century, when it belonged to Henri de Riollet, who lived there in 1766. The transformations of this era partially erase its defensive character, as evidenced by the suppression of the murderers and the drawbridge after the Revolution.

In 1794 François Guillemot described the castle in a revolutionary estimate designed to remove feudal symbols. Although he had no towers and slots, he retained traces of his military past, such as the flames of the pendulums of the drawbridge, which had now disappeared. The western ditch, originally interpreted as a defence, is then justified as a simple sanitation system for cellars.

In the 20th century, the castle, partly abandoned and surrounded by marshland, was rented in 1924 by Jacques Copeau. The theatre critic set up his troupe and wrote Le Veuf, using the main hall as a stage. Its occupation, brief (until the end of 1925), marks an artistic period before the place regains its rural calm.

Architecturally, the castle presents itself as a modern rectangular building, framed by two square towers and an inner courtyard. The north facade, pierced by a cochère door and a cannon tree, recalls its defensive heritage, while the south wings, extended by towers, underline its evolution towards a seigneurial residence. No gap is now visible, confirming post-revolutionary transformations.

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