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Origin and history

Châtillon Castle, erected in the 11th century on a rock overlooking the north shore of Lake Bourget (then known as Lake Châtillon), was the heart of the eponymous seigneury. Originally owned by Châtillon du Chablais, he passed on successively to the Montluel, Seyssel d'Aix, Rambert and Anglejean families. Its strategic location, 2 km south of Chindrieux (Savoie), reflects its political and military importance, even giving its name to the lake before it was renamed Lake Bourget.

Cited in 1125, the castle was the cradle of Geoffroy de Châtillon, the future pope in 1241, according to historian Georges Chapier. In the 13th century he became a fief of the Counts of Savoy, with successive tributes from the Montluel (1293, 1324, 1356). The seigneury, composed of the parishes of Chindrieux, Ruffieux and Vion, changed hands through marriages and inheritances: the Seyssel d'Aix in 1486, then the Ramberts in 1756. The latter, like Hyacinthe Rambert, restored the castle deeply in the 18th century and welcomed Alphonse de Lamartine in 1819.

The architecture of the castle combines medieval defensive elements (polygonal dungeon, square tower, entrance castle registered in 1991) and Renaissance developments. Louis de Seyssel, Abbé de Vendôme, remania in 1537, while the 18th and 19th centuries saw major transformations, including a brief conversion to a hotel around 1889. The site inspired Lamartine ("La Retraite", Poetic Meditations) and was used as a setting for contemporary police films (My Little Finger said, 2005).

Built in tuff and limestone, the castle includes a 13th century enclosure, a 15th century house, and an octagonal tower with a spiral staircase, probably modified over the centuries. The Seyssel, although owners until 1756, ceased to reside there after 1538, entrusting him to farmers. The monument, still private, houses a bust of Lamartine erected in 1920 by sculptor Mars Vallett, symbol of his link with the arts and Savoyard history.

The seigneury of Châtillon, initially vassal of the Counts of Geneva, passed under Savoyard control in 1401. Conflicts of succession (notably after the death without the heir of Maurice de Seyssel in 1687) illustrate local dynastic issues. The castle, although partially protected, remains a testimony of the architectural and political changes of Savoy, from the Middle Ages to the modern era.

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