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Origin and history

Charly Castle, formerly known as Charleu, is a castle built in the 13th century, profoundly renovated in the 18th and 19th centuries. Located in the commune of Charly, in the metropolis of Lyon (region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes), it has been listed as historical monuments since 1926. Its initial architecture, marked by square dungeons, mâchicoulis and moat today, reflects its medieval defensive role. The site also includes a rectangular house, a dovecote, and agricultural outbuildings, testifying to its seigneurial use.

Acquired in 1239 by the Chapter of Saint-Just, the castle would have housed Pope Innocent IV between 1244 and 1251. The seigneury then passed into the hands of influential families: the Miriboli (as early as 1314), who resisted the Tard-Venus in 1362, the Bocsozel (circa 1470), then the Thurin, Gadagne, Sève, and Pianelli de la Valette in the 16th–15th centuries. These families, often linked to the Lyon nobility or royal institutions, transform the castle into a seigneurial residence, adding comfort elements such as a garden and a vergier.

In the 19th century, the castle was mutilated and lost some of its defences. In 1793, he was seized as a national good during the Revolution, then transformed into a school by the Saint Charles sisters in 1829. Today, it houses a private kindergarten and remains a private property not open to the public. Its history reflects the political and social upheavals of the region, from the Middle Ages to the contemporary era.

The building combines military features (donjons, mâchicoulis, breche) and civilian facilities (logis, dovecote, press). The descriptions of the 16th century evoke a complete ensemble with four towers, drawbridge, moat, and agricultural lands, illustrating its dual role as fortress and seigneurial domain. The transformations of the 18th and 19th centuries altered part of its original structure, but the castle retains a major heritage value, protected for almost a century.

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