Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Châteauvieux Castle, also known as château Ruphy, is a former fortified house transformed in the 18th and 19th centuries. Located on a rock emerging from Lake Annecy, it historically controlled navigation between Italy and Geneva, complementing the local defensive system. Its picturesque location made it a popular subject for painters like Cézanne or photographers.

From the 13th century onwards, the castle belonged to the Duin family, vassal of the Counts of Geneva. In 1219, Raymondus de Duin was mentioned in a financial transaction with William II of Geneva. In 1296, Rodolphe de Duin partially surrendered the Duingt seigneury to Count Amédée II, while preserving Châteauvieux. Duin's family kept him until 1530, when Louise de Duingt, the last heir, sold him to Duke Philippe de Genevois-Nemours.

The castle changed hands several times: acquired in 1673 by Gaspard Jodoc Stockalper, then sold in 1681 to the Monthouz, it was finally bought in 1698 by François-Nicolas de Sales. The latter, Count of Duingt, received Geneva intellectuals like the Tronchin and the Lullin. In the 18th century Paul-François de Sales, a cavalry general, set up a Chinese salon, while his nephew Benoît-Maurice added a barque-accessible music salon, where his wife played harp.

During the Revolution, the bodies of Saint Francis de Sales and Saint Jeanne de Chantal were hidden there in 1793 to escape the revolutionaries. The castle was sold as a national property in 1796. In the 19th century, Baron Scipion Ruphy added neo-medieval elements (Le Mansart roofs, crenelages). Its current architecture combines a 13th-century cylindrical tower, advanced defences, and 18th-century interior decorations (woodworks, Italian canvases representing Chinese factories).

Ranked Historic Monument in 1994 (castle) and 1988 (pavillon-embarcadère), the estate also includes terraces and a lakeside pier. Its history reflects the struggles of power in Savoy, between noble families, Counts of Geneva, and Dukes of Savoy, before its cultural and artistic role in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Future

His position on Lake Annecy makes him a favourite for painters, such as Cézanne, Louis Glasser, Jean-Pierre Serralongue and Suzanne Lansé, as well as for photographers.

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