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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château d'Arthel, often mistakenly confused with the Château d'Apremont because of a common owner, is a 16th century building entirely renovated in the 18th century. Built on the ruins of an ancient castle, it stands on a rocky promontory near the church of Artel, in the Nièvre. His story began in the 13th century with the family of Artel, before passing into the hands of notable figures such as Guillaume de Lamonion (1378) or Jean de Chabannes, Count of Dammartin and brother of the famous Captain of the Ecorcheurs, Antoine de Chabannes. In 1584, Imbert de Paris, the gentleman of Henri III, added two massive towers on the north facade, characteristic of the Renaissance.

Major reconstruction took place in 1722 under the impetus of François Guynet, king's adviser, who erected the present building on medieval foundations. The Fournier de Quincy, acquired in 1754, enlarged the castle in the 19th century by adding two square pavilions. Despite its absence of a private chapel, the castle enjoyed a dedicated space in the parish church, which disappeared when a new place of worship was built in 1875. The estate, lined with dry moats and equipped with a French-style park with terraces and maze of boxwood, reflects the aristocratic tastes of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Partially classified as Historic Monuments since 1984, the castle preserves interior decorations of the 18th and 19th centuries, especially in the north towers and the central house body. Its dovecote, dated 1742, and its commons complete a coherent architectural ensemble. Private property since the Revolution, it is passed on to noble families such as the Fournier de Quincy or the Counts of Brondeau. Today, there remains a testimony of the architectural and social transformations of Burgundy, from the Middle Ages to the modern era.

The weapons of the Marquis d'Arthel, visible on the wrought iron entrance porch, recall the successive alliances between noble families (Lamonion, Chabannes, Boutillat). The castle also illustrates the evolution of usages: from a medieval fortress to a residence of pleasure, with gardens designed for pleasure and representation. The north terraces, orangery and alleyways of linden trees planted around 1700-1710 underline this aesthetic and social vocation.

The protections under the Historic Monuments cover both interior (from the 18th and 19th centuries) and exterior (facades, roofs, park with its five terraces and maze). These measures preserve a military, residential and landscape heritage, characteristic of the large Burgundy houses. The castle, although private, can be visited by appointment, offering an overview of the art of living aristocratic throughout the centuries.

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