Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Boisy found its origins in the 13th century as a fortified house, built on the town of Ballaison, in Haute-Savoie. At that time, he belonged to the Pinart family, before going through an alliance at the Montforts in 1362 and then to the Allinges in 1470 via the marriage of Guillemette de Montfort. These noble families, linked to local history, make it a symbol of feudal power in the Chablais region.

In the 16th century, the Lord of Boisy adopted the Protestant Reformation during the Bernese invasion of Chablais (1536), marking a religious turning point for the estate. In 1601, the castle exchanged hands when Esther d'Allinges, the last heiress, brought him in dowry to Jean Budé, a Protestant exiled in Geneva after the Saint Barthélemy. The Budé, close to Théodore de Bèze, kept Boisy until 1796, when he was ceded to Madeleine Lullin and then sold to the Monachon in 1801.

The 19th and 20th centuries saw the castle change frequently in owners: the Maupeou (from 1803), the Boigne (1818–1911), and the Turrettini, who transformed it deeply. The architect Maurice Turrettini, son of Albert, gives him his present appearance by demolishing old buildings to keep only the 15th century square tower (dated 1430). At the end of the 20th century, it belonged to Robert Turrettini, a Geneva lawyer.

The medieval tower, the only vestige of the original strong house, bears witness to the defensive architecture of the Middle Ages. Accelerated to a more recent building body, the castle illustrates the changes in a seigneurial heritage, passed from the hands of Savoyard noble families to Swiss owners, reflecting the historical links between Savoie and Geneva.

The site, located on the southern slope of Mount Boisy, offers a panorama of the Chablaisian landscape. Its history, marked by religious conflicts and matrimonial alliances, makes it a typical example of the fortified houses of Haute-Savoie, where local power and Protestant heritages intersect.

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