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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Cuirieu is a 17th and 18th century building located in the commune of Saint-Jean-de-Soudain, on the edge of Sainte-Blandine, near La Tour-du-Pin (Isère, region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes). He succeeds a former medieval hunting rendezvous in a futai, whose name evokes curia, a key moment of hunting. The present castle was built at the beginning of the seventeenth century by Pierre de Boissat, anoublied in 1604 as a gentleman of the King's House, marking his social ascent by this construction.

The estate, well preserved, has been owned for nearly two centuries by the family of Noüe, including Viscount and Viscount Bernard de Noüe. The castle consists of two houses in square, flanked by three round towers, and a vaulted passage in the communes. An 18th-century terrace, replacing old moats, overlooks a French-style garden and a 9-hectare park, decorated with carved cedars and shrubs. Only the outside domain is accessible, especially during European Heritage Days.

Ranked a Historic Monument since 1955, the castle also protects its communes and its French garden, which are witnesses to its classical architecture. Its central pediment and two side pavilions illustrate the aristocratic residential style of the 17th and 18th centuries. Although private property, its history reflects the evolution of usage, moving from a medieval hunting place to a noble residence, then to a preserved family heritage.

The sources mention an erroneous initial location (La Tour-du-Pin), while the castle is located precisely at Saint-Jean-de-Soudain (code Insee 38509), bordering Sainte-Blandine. This geographical confusion is explained by the proximity of the three communes, which share a common historical territory. The architectural data (windows, round towers) and landscape (garden to the French) confirm its heritage importance in Isère.

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