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Origin and history

Châteauvieux Castle is a former 13th century fortified house located in the commune of Seynod in Haute-Savoie. Built on a natural hilltop at an altitude of 600 metres, it strategically monitored the roads from Chambéry to Annecy via Vieugy and Loverchy, as well as a branch line leading directly to Seynod. Its location allowed it to control the movements between these major axes.

The exact origin of the castle remains unknown, but it is attested as possession of the family of Geneva from the thirteenth century. In 1375 and 1385, Amédée III of Geneva the infeode at Pierre de Genève-Lullin. In the 16th century, the castle passed into the hands of the Pelards through the marriage of Angelique de Genève with Henri Pelard in 1545. The latter, after having bought the shares of his brother-in-law Jacques in 1551, rebuilt the castle and named it Châteauvieux, with reference to another family estate.

The castle changes owners several times over the centuries. In 1698 he was ceded to Charles Joseph Lucas, seigneur of Aléry, before being bought a year later by Jean Michel Pelard. In 1731, it was sold to Claude Antoine de Maréschal de Luciane, then by marriage to the Buttet de Tressreves family. In 1769 or 1770 Paul Joseph Biord, president of the Senate of Savoy and brother of the bishop of Annecy, became its owner. Arrested under the Terror, he died in prison in 1794, and his property, confiscated, saw its towers unfurled.

Architecturally, the castle is characterized by a dominant high round tower and an entrance porch topped by a Pelard shield dated 1593. Two truncated towers, vestiges of revolutionary destructions, frame the whole, while an isolated square tower marks the climax of the hill. Inside, a wooden fireplace displays the Pelard weapons (1594). The dovecote, located 800 meters from the castle, completes this complex now integrated into a rural exploitation.

The site illustrates the evolution of a medieval fortress as a seigneurial residence, marked by the conflicts and political transformations of Savoy. Its history reflects the family alliances, legacies and spoliations that rhythmized the Geneva region between the Middle Ages and the French Revolution.

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