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Origin and history

The castle of Gamay is a strong house built in the 12th century on the finish of Saint-Aubin, in the Côte de Beaune, Burgundy. This Burgundian castel, typical of the 13th century seigneurial residences, is characterized by a square dungeon and a renovated house body. Its history is marked by a break-up into several fiefs, regaining its territorial unity only in the 18th century under Étienne Bernard and Marie Du May. The seigneury was then part of the bailiwick of Beaune, with a local independent justice.

Seized as a national property during the Revolution, the castle was bought by 14 inhabitants of Saint-Aubin who considered its demolition, without achieving it. Transformed into a farm in the 19th century, it was enlarged by heterogeneous buildings reflecting the rural architecture of the period. The Chauvigny de Blot family acquired it at the end of the 19th century and undertook its restoration, preserving its medieval spirit despite successive changes.

The architecture of the castle reveals defensive elements such as ditches surrounding a quadrilateral and hoarding holes on the dungeon. The house body, accessible by an external stone staircase, was modified in the 15th century with the addition of a low wing and an octagonal turret with a screw staircase. The interior courtyard, framed by 19th century buildings, preserves traces of the old courtyards. The site, listed as a Historic Monument in 1991, also includes a landscaped park in English.

Among the attested lords, the Du May family, anobliated in 1387, played a prominent role: Paul Du May, lay councillor in the Parliament of Burgundy in the 16th century, and Pierre Du May, adviser to the bailliage of Beaune in the 17th century. Other lines, such as the Button of Chamilly or the Battle of Mandelot, followed until the 18th century. In the 21st century, the castle is partially accessible and occasionally houses the mayor of Beaune.

The coat of arms of Paul Du May, described as "azure to a wretched stick of gold, accompanied by three bores and a hoar of wild boar", illustrates the noble heritage of the place. The motto "Coelum non vulnera" (the sky does not hurt) evokes a symbol of protection, in line with the original defensive vocation of the strong house. The castle, although private, remains a testimony of Burgundy seigneurial history, between local power and agricultural adaptations.

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