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Origin and history

The castle of Gerbaix is an ancient 13th century castle, the centre of the eponymous seigneury, whose ruins remain in the municipality of Gerbaix, Savoie. Located 680 metres above sea level, it overlooks the hamlet of the Brets, demonstrating its strategic role in the region. Its first records date back to the 12th century, although its current structure mainly dates from the 13th century, with subsequent developments like semicircular towers added later.

The seigneury of Gerbaix was first owned by the family of Gerbaix, attested as early as 1203. In 1244, an arbitration was concluded between the local lord and the Prior of Yenne, revealing tensions or collaborations between seigneurial and religious powers. In the 14th century, the castle passed into the hands of the family of Rivoire by the marriage of Eygline de Gerbaix with Louis Rivoire, knight and lord of Domessin. The latter was officially invested in 1359, marking an important dynastic transition.

In 1380 Noble Berlion de Rivoire, son of Louis, married Catherine, the bastard daughter of Humbert I of Savoy, strengthening the bonds between the seigneury and the house of Savoy. This wedding, celebrated in the presence of notables like Pierre d'Ameysin, underlines the political importance of the castle. In the 16th century, Laurent de Gorrevod, squire of Duke Philibert II of Savoy and governor of Bresse, inherited the castle by his marriage with Claude Rivoire in 1509. He even installed a library in one of the towers, reflecting his status as a senior official and patron.

The castle remained in the Costa de Beauregard family from 1679 until the French Revolution. Architecturally, it consists of several concentric enclosures, with a rectangular house flanked by two square diagonal towers and a cistern. The semicircular towers, added late, circle the whole, illustrating the defensive evolutions over the centuries. The current ruins offer an overview of this historical stratification, from its medieval origins to its post-revolutionary decline.

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