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Origin and history

The Château de Charles-le-Témeraire, also known as Château de Charolles, is an ancient castle with origins dating back to the 13th century, although its current structures date mainly from the 14th and 15th centuries. Located on a limestone spur overlooking the confluence of the Arconce and the Seed, it controlled river passages and served as a centre for one of the six chestnuts in Charolais County. Its history is inseparable from that of the city, developed between the church of Saint-Nizier and the castle, until the attachment of Charolais to France in 1761.

Between 1310 and 1317, Jean de Clermont, Count of Charolais, rebuilt the castle and added nine towers. In the 15th century, Marguerite de Bavaria (widow of Jean sans Peur) and Philippe le Bon reinforced the fortress: false brows, boulevards, and a tower of the Archives (1471–1474), known as the Temerary, were built to resist artillery. The castle then houses artillery pieces and crossbows, symbolizing its key military role.

After the Treaty of Senlis (1493), which links the Charolais to the Habsburgs, the castle was abandoned and fell into ruins. In the 16th century, it served as a prison, but its condition deteriorated: the house burned in 1694, the big tower collapsed in 1705, and a plan of 1763 showed gardens occupying part of its ruins. In 1771, Louis XV sold the remains (except the Archives Tower) to Pierre-François Bernigaud de Cerrecy, who built a new home. In the Revolution, there are only two towers left.

The hemicircular enclosure, partially visible, includes a tower-porch (south access), a tower of the Diamonds (apartly in bosses) and the tower of the Archives, high five levels with archer-canonnières. A Saint Peter chapel once occupied the central courtyard, now replaced by a public garden. The castle, owned by the commune since 1867, now houses the Town Hall. Only the tower has been listed as a Historic Monument since 1926.

A description of 1358 evokes a castle with two railway doors with drawbridge, an attic, cellars, a well, prisons, and rooms (including that of the Bailli or the Count). Among the towers mentioned are the Grosse Tour, the Colombier Tower, or the Boussue Tower (Prisions). The chapel of Sainte-Catherine, audience of the bailli and stables completed the whole, reflecting its role both defensive, residential and administrative.

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