Château de Collonges-lès-Bévy en Côte-d'or

Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Collonges-lès-Bévy, located in the department of Côte-d-Or in Burgundy-Franche-Comté, is a modern building built around 1720 by Louis Georges de Massol. It replaces an earlier fortress whose ditches it retains, crossed by three dormant bridges. This castle illustrates the architectural evolution between the 17th and 18th centuries, mixing defensive elements inherited from the past with more aesthetic developments, such as French-style gardens, later transformed into an English-style park.

In 1720 Louis Georges de Massol erected the castle on the foundations of an ancient fortress, whose ditches he preserved. At the end of the 18th century, General de Gassendi became the owner, and his daughter married Claude-Joseph Marey, mayor of Nuits-Saint-Georges. The latter undertook major changes in 1874: filling the ditches, creating an English-language park and adding a gallery against the north façade. These transformations reflect the architectural and landscape tastes of the time, marking a break with the symmetrical gardens in the French.

The castle is distinguished by its colourful tiles, its terrace overlooking a gallery with large bays, as well as its chapel and dovecote, housed in 17th century towers. In 1975, several elements — facades, roofs, wrought iron staircase, dining room and living room with their decor, as well as the dovecote — were included in the historical monuments. The interior houses Italian stucco, woodwork and bas-reliefs evoking the twelve works of Hercules, testimonies of the artistic refinement of the period.

In December 2020, a fire ravages more than half of the castle, destroying much of the structure and attic. A restoration project was launched about 18 months later, involving local artisans and sourcing materials in the surrounding forests, such as oaks for the new structure. The Heritage Foundation financially supports the work through a crowdfunding campaign. In July 2023, the new roof was completed, marking a key step in the preservation of this heritage.

Today, the castle is open to the public between forty and fifty days a year under the impulse of its current owner, Romuald de Haut de Sigy. The communes have been set up as a high-end gite, contributing to the tourist and economic development of the estate. This place thus combines historical preservation and contemporary adaptation, while remaining anchored in its Burgundy territory.

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