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Origin and history

The castle of Clermont, located in Chirens in Isère, is an ancient earth castle built in the 11th century, then rebuilt in the 13th century before being dismantled in the 17th century. Its ruins, classified as historical monuments in 1983, include an atypical pentagonal dungeon, vestige of a castral motte, as well as traces of two concentric enclosures. The site, perched at 637 metres above sea level, provided a strategic view of the Ainan, Fure and Isère valleys, while overlooking the hamlet of Clermont.

The castle was the capital of Chirens and the heart of the seigneury of Clermont in Vienna, mentioned for the first time in 1107 during the division of the county of Sermorens. A cradle of the family of Clermont, he passed under the suzerainety of the archbishop of Vienna in 1203, then became a Barony of the Dauphiné in the 14th century before being elevated to county rank in 1547 by Henry II. The excavations of 1991 revealed a first occupation in the second half of the 11th century, as well as a Castral chapel Our Lady attested to in the 12th century.

Abandoned at the beginning of the sixteenth century, the castle was dismantled in 1626 by royal order, like other fortresses deemed obsolete. In 1814 Colonel Lubière, Napoleonic commander, vainly tried to resist the Austrians. Today, only the pentagonal dungeon, owned by the Clermont-Tonnerre, remains surrounded by legends evoking undergrounds linking the site to the Château de Montclair and buried treasures.

Architecturally, the castle consisted of a triple enclosure dominated by a stone and tuff dungeon, four-storey, almost blind except for an opening on the south side. The oldest remains date back to the 12th century, while the polygonal tower, built on a motte, dates from the 13th century. The site illustrates the evolution of medieval defensive techniques, from the primitive castral mott to the stone fortress.

Strategically located in the Marches des Etats de Savoie, the château de Clermont played a key role in regional conflicts, especially under the seigneurs de Clermont who made it a strong independent place before placing it under the protection of the Dauphiné. Its decline in the seventeenth century reflects the end of the castle era, replaced by modern defensive systems. The ruins, now accessible, bear witness to this tumultuous past.

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