Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The château de la Berchère, located in Boncourt-le-Bois in Burgundy-Franche-Comté, has its origins in the 15th century, although its major reconstruction dates back to 1634. On that date, Pierre Legault, the first president of the Parliament of Burgundy, undertook to build a new castle on the existing medieval foundations, including a south-east tower, a staircase and some remains. This building, typical of the Burgundian architecture of the seventeenth century, is organized around a rectangular land-full lined with moat, with a central house body flanked by two wings.

However, the history of the site dates back much earlier: from 1245, Gui de la Berchère received in fief the seigneurial house and its rights. In the 15th century, the property passed to Jean Legoux, echevin de Nuits-Saint-Georges, then to his descendant Jean-Baptiste Legoux in 1597. The Legault family deeply marked the castle, notably by the reconstruction of 1634 and the addition of a chapel. In the 18th century, the estate was sold to the Joly de Bévy family, before changing hands several times, including a major restoration between 1905 and 1906 by Count Antoine de la Forest Divonne, who rebuilt the west wing destroyed by the Prussians and added his weapons over the porch.

The castle, partially listed as a historical monument in 1946 and 1999, retains remarkable elements such as a Renaissance gallery on the ground floor, decorated with carved caissons, and an eighteenth-century chapel decorated with stuccos. The south tower, semicircular, still has Gothic openings inherited from the medieval period. The moat, though partially filled, and the tower gunboats recall its defensive past. Today, the castle serves as a quality hotel, perpetuating its role in valuing the local heritage.

The successive transformations, including the demolition of the commons and stables at the beginning of the 20th century, as well as the suppression of the family motto "all in Travers" during the restoration of 2016, illustrate the adaptations of the monument over the centuries. Its architecture thus combines Gothic, Renaissance and classical influences, reflecting the eras and the owners who shaped it.

Located in the north of RD 116, halfway between Nuits-Saint-Georges and Boncourt-le-Bois, the castle is part of a wine-growing and historic landscape emblematic of the Côte d'Or. Its inscription to historical monuments protects its facades, roofs, the land-full and moat, as well as interior elements such as the chapel and gallery.

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