Château de Cornillon en Savoie

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Origin and history

The Château de Cornillon is a former castle with ruins on the border of the communes of Césarches and Queige, Savoie. Perched at nearly 1,000 metres above sea level on Mount Cornillon, it overlooked the confluence of the Doron and the Arly, controlling access to the Beaufortain and the Arly plain. Its origins remain undetermined, but the toponym suggests a dominant rocky site, perhaps occupied from a remote time.

The history of the castle is closely linked to the family of Cornillon, mentioned in 1180 with Guillaume I, witness in a donation to the Abbey of Aulps. In 1213 Guifried and Pierre de Cornillon married the daughters of Anthelme de Tours, and in 1222 they submitted to the authority of the archbishops of Tarentaise for their fief. The castle, held in free alleu until then, became a vassalic issue in the region.

Between 1285 and 1355, the Delphino Savoyard conflict ravaged the region. In 1334 or 1335, the castle was destroyed by the Dauphinois, as was Ugine and his castle. Abandoned after these events, he was replaced by a strong house built by the lords of Cornillon at Marthod. The current ruins, which were excavated in 1938, reveal an 11-metre square dungeon, a crenellated enclosure, and an independent chapel, now almost completely razed.

The castle was the center of a castleland controlling several strong houses and surrounding villages, such as Queige, Caesarches, or Marthod. Its strategic location made it a key monitoring point for passages to Beaufortain and the Arly Valley. The remains, though reduced, recall its military and seigneurial role during the Middle Ages.

The archaeological excavations of 1938 partially reconstructed his plan: a massive dungeon, a defensive round tower, and two ponds providing water supply. In the 18th century, walls were still visible, but today, only a few remains, reflecting its past importance in the region.

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