Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Chavagneux Castle, built in the 13th century on the banks of the Saône in Genouilleux (Ain), was the heart of a medieval seigneury originally dependent on the family of Vaux. In 1296, the knight Milon de Vaux took possession of it in franc-alleu before turning it into a fief-lige of the Sires de Beaujeu in 1310. His son Hugue confirmed this tribute in 1327-1328. The seigneury, including a toll on the Saône in Belleville, passed to the Chandieu in 1375 after the extinction of the Vaux, then to the Vichy families of Champremont and the Porte.

In the 16th century, the land of Chavagneux was divided between John and Antoine de la Porte, creating the domains of Grand and Petit-Chavagneux. After successive sales (Cléberg, Sajot, Moyrou), the seigneury was left in 1651 to the Charité de Lyon, which sold it to Bona de Perrex in 1770. The latter built in 1774 a new castle 100 metres from the original fortress, using demolition materials (bricks, towers) of the old building. The cylindrical dungeon of the years 1290-1300, similar to the castles of Montellier and Plantay, remains the only medieval vestige.

Partially listed as historical monuments in 1942, the estate moved to Rohan-Chabot in 1900, then to the Frerejean family in 1907. The latter undertook recent restorations to preserve the entire site, including the French-style park built in the 19th century by Baron de Varey. The castle thus illustrates the architectural and seigneurial evolution of the Ain, from the Middle Ages to the contemporary era.

External links