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Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Lessard-en-Bresse stands on a slight eminence in the plain, in the town of Lessard-en-Bresse, in Saône-et-Loire. It is organized around an irregular courtyard, surrounded by ditches now invaded by vegetation. The architectural complex consists of two round brick towers at the north and south angles, with conical roofs, as well as a body of rectangular houses in the east, flanked by two square towers, one of which is equipped with mâchicoulis. Agricultural buildings, covered with the same dark grey crepi as the house, border the north and south sides. Access is via a sleeping bridge to the west and a bridge to the east. Private property, the castle is not visited.

The seigneury of Lessard-en-Bresse was attested in the 13th century under the rule of the Chalon family. In the 14th century, it passed into the hands of the Montagu, then, until the middle of the 16th century, to the Lugny, of which Jean de Lugny, the last male heir, was the lord Baron. In 1558 his daughter Françoise de Lugny, lady of Lessard, married François Chabot, thus transmitting the estate to this family. Their daughter, Catherine Chabot, married Jean de Saulx in 1579, Viscount de Tavannes, perpetuating the lineage of the owners.

In 1647, Claire-Françoise de Saulx, heir to Charles de Saulx, married Charles-François de La Baume, Count of Montrevel, whose family kept the castle until the Revolution. In the 19th century, the estate belonged to the Sordet family and was used as a farm. Changes were made in 1835. Between the two world wars, the castle changed its vocation, before being bought in 1985 by Mr. and Mrs.Daillant, current owners.

Architecturally, the castle illustrates a typical evolution from medieval fortresses to seigneurial residences, with defensive elements (fossed, mâchicoulis) coexisting with agricultural developments. Its history reflects the marriage alliances and hereditary transmissions characteristic of the Burgundian aristocracy, from the Middle Ages to the contemporary era.

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