Château de Cormand en Haute-Savoie

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Key figures

Origin and history

Cormand Castle, located on the hamlet of La Côte-d'Hyot in Bonneville (Haute-Savoie), is an ancient castle converted into a 14th century mansion. It is distinguished from the homonymous castle of Saint-Jeoire, also in the Faucigny. Installed on an elevation above the Arve, it controlled a Roman route linking Geneva to the high valleys of the Ceutrons. Originally, La Côte-d'Hyot was an independent territory, attached to Bonneville in 1964.

The first owner family mentioned is the Sadot family, the noble lineage of Bonneville. Vuifred Sadot, quoted in the 14th century, became its owner thanks to an act of lodging the dolphin Humbert II of Vienna. The castle then passed through marriage in 1399 to the Menthon-Montrottier family, which preserved it until the 18th century. Pierre II de Montrottier, baili de Genevois, married Jeanne de Ville, daughter of Louis Sadot, sealing this transfer.

In the 18th century, the castle was sold to the Duparc family, then passed into the hands of Thévenet, Amoudruz and Pigot. Today, it is furnished in gîte and bed and breakfast. Architecturally, it combines defensive features (missing bones, thick walls, vaulted cellars) and noble manor elements, with an inner courtyard, a chapel, and weapons of the Menthon-Montrottier visible on a facade.

The south house offers views of the Arve and the Arenthon plain, while the north house is facing the Rerey slopes. The west facade, with a central square tower, opens onto a cochère door leading to the courtyard. Although transformed, the castle retains traces of its initial military vocation, reflecting its historic role as a strategic control of the valley.

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