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Origin and history

Maxilly Castle, known as Blonay, is a medieval building erected at the end of the 13th century. It stands north of the village of Maxilly-sur-Léman, in the country of Gavot, in Haute-Savoie, overlooking both the Nant Couy and the shores of Leman. This strategic positioning makes it an important control point in the region, typical of feudal constructions of the time intended to monitor the communication axes and surrounding territories.

At its origins, the castle entered the possessions of the Blonay family in the late 13th century, thanks to the marriage of Raoul de Blonay with the heiress of Maxilly. This marriage allows Blonays to extend their local influence, making the castle an annex to their main estate, the Château de Saint-Paul. Maxilly's seigneury thus remained linked to this line for centuries, although the castle changed hands several times, notably when it was sold to the Dukes of Savoy in 1514, and then purchased by the Blonays in 1528.

During the 16th century religious unrest, Maxilly Castle became a strategic issue during the occupation of the northern Duchy of Savoie by the Reformed Valais troops from 1536. The parish of Maxilly, unlike neighbouring territories, was then occupied and transformed into a Protestant enclave in the heart of Chablais. The castle passed into the hands of the Graffenried of Bern, who in 1562 handed it over to the Melchitons, a family whose inheritance will be the subject of disputes until the 17th century. In 1625, the Blonays finally recovered the property, but the castle, gradually abandoned, fell into ruins. A new home is built nearby by the family.

In the 19th century, in 1880, the estate was acquired by M.J.-C. Gerecke, who undertook partial restoration work. At that time, the castle was in the form of a rectangle of 10 meters by 25, with a square tower in its southwest angle. However, as early as the 1950s, historian Louis Blondel described the eastern part as ruinous, reflecting the gradual decline of the building. Today, Maxilly Castle remains an emblematic vestige of the feudal and religious history of Savoyard Chablais.

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