Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Bourbilly Castle, located in Vic-de-Chassenay in the Gold Coast, has its origins in the 14th century, although its lands date back to the Merovingian and Carolingian era. Originally dependent on the royal tax under Brunéhaut, the fief passed in 1032 to Robert de France, the first Capetian Duke of Burgundy. In the 13th century, Jean d'Epoisses erected a fortress there, before the estate was passed on by inheritances and successive marriages to the Trail families, Thil, and then Beaujeu. In 1375, Marguerite de Beaujeu, wife of Jacques de Piémont, transformed the building into a marina, adding a chapel dedicated to Saint Marguerite.

In the 15th century, the castle was acquired by Pierre de La Tremeille, adviser to Charles VI, and then passed into the hands of the Rabutin in the 17th century. Jeanne de Chantal gave birth to her children, including Celse-Bénigne de Rabutin and Françoise de Rabutin-Chantal, grandmother of Madame de Sévigné. The latter, emblematic figure of the Great Century, stays there several times, especially during her wedding trip. The estate left the Rabutin family in 1719, after the sale by Pauline de Simiane to Guy Chartraire de Saint-Agnan.

The 19th century marked a period of major transformation: Frédéric-Augustin Apple and Antoine-Joseph de Caux partially altered the structure before Charles de Franqueville undertook, between 1867 and 1871, a complete restoration in a Second Empire style. The chapel, damaged by a fire, was restored in 1952 thanks to a collective mobilization including the family, artists and medievalists. Ranked a historic monument in 1992, the castle now combines medieval heritage and romantic elegance, surrounded by a park redesigned by Alphand under the supervision of Ernest de Franqueville.

The castle is also known for its cultural role, serving as a decoration in 2015 for the show Secrets d'Histoire dedicated to Madame de Sévigné. Its architecture, characterized by three square wings and round towers, houses remarkable elements such as a guard room with a Louis XIII billiard, a 17th-century Flemish tapestry, and a library with neo-Gothic woodwork. The park, labeled Jardin de France, extends into a wild valley of the Serein, celebrated by Lamartine for its natural beauty.

The successive owners, from medieval lords to bourgeois families of the 19th and 20th centuries (including the Franquevilles and the Darcys), marked its history. Today owned by the Crepy family, Bourbilly Castle bears witness to nearly nine centuries of Burgundy history, mixing architectural, literary and landscape heritage.

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