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Key figures

Origin and history

Château de La Carelle is a building located in a valley of the commune of Ouroux, in the north of the Rhône department, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Its name comes from the stream of La Carelle, a tributary of the eastern Grosne. The main house, of square shape, is flanked by four pavilions at angles, and a round tower dominates the outbuildings facing the southwest. The building, sober, includes a ground floor, a floor and a floor of attic.

Originally, the castle served as a hunting lodge in the Middle Ages for Beaujeu's house. In the 15th century, the Nagu family became its owner, rewarded for its services at the Sires de Beaujeu. A century later, the Nagu gave it to the Du Bost, who eventually passed on much of their rights to the Church of Ouroux. In the 17th century, the fief passed into the hands of merchant or noble families, such as the Carriges, Magnin and De La Roche, marked by matrimonial alliances and legal proceedings.

There are several notable events in the castle, such as the fire of 1639, which partially devastates it. In 1719, after a dispute, Joseph de La Roche, squire, became its owner and added his name. The property remains in this family until the 19th century, before passing to the Bourgeot, then to the Riboud, a line of Lyon bankers. Today, the castle still belongs to the descendants of the latter family, despite the accidental death of Christophe Riboud in 1987. The coat of arms of the Nagu and De La Roche families, with their currencies, testify to this rich seigneurial past.

The genealogical archives and historical works, such as those of Ferdinand La Roche La Carelle or C. Pelletier, document its history. The castle thus illustrates the evolution of noble and bourgeois possessions in Beaujolais, between seigneurial hunting, family transmissions and architectural adaptations.

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