Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Demigny, located in the town of Saône-et-Loire, occupies a terrace overlooking the village. Originally, a medieval fortress in quadrilateral with towers occupied the site, serving as a watchtower for the inhabitants. This primitive castle, described in a count of 1752 by Louis de Foudras, was razed during the French Revolution. Its location is still home to 18th-century outbuildings, including a wheel press dated 1777, which witnessed the late reshaping of the old feudal structure.

In 1805, Alexandre-Henri de Foudras and his wife Marie-Antoinette de Schlegenberg built a new management house, some 60 metres from the original location. This present castle, classified as a historic monument, is distinguished by its body of rectangular houses flanked by pavilions, a wrought iron staircase decorated with their initials, and a landscaped park designed in the 19th century. The facades, roofs, and press were protected by two classification stops in 1983 and 2002, while the estate now houses a museum dedicated to hunting and work by the Marquis de Foudras.

The history of the castle is marked by successions of noble families: from Vacheret (XIIIth century) to Vienna, Malain, then Foissy, which unified the seigneury in 1603. In the 17th century, the estate passed to the d'Andelot, then to the Foudras by marriage in 1669. Alexandre-Henri de Foudras, despite his emigration during the Revolution, retained the estate and initiated his reconstruction. His son, Théodore de Foudras (1803–39), a renowned cynegetic writer, completed interior and landscape developments before selling the castle to M. Brémond in 1839. The estate then belonged to the Orientalist Émile Guimet (1853) and then to the Countess of Malibran-Santibanez.

The castle, still privately owned, opens its doors to the public for visits centered on its hunting and furry museum. Among its remarkable elements, the entrance gate and its pillars, the northern facade, and the wrought iron ramp staircase (carrying the monogram of Marie-Antoinette de Schlegenberg) have been inscribed since 1983. The park, including an old wooden chapel built on the cellars of the primitive castle, completes this Burgundian heritage complex.

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