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Origin and history

The castle of Meix-Berthaud, also known as the castle of Gergy, is located in Saône-et-Loire, on a terrace overlooking the Saône and the meadows of the village. Its access is made by a rustic peg tower, vestige of an old fortified farmhouse before the seventeenth century. The present castle, built in the classic Burgundian style, consists of a rectangular central body framed by two pavilions in return for square. A chapel, built in 1668 under the episcopate of Jean de Maupeou, occupies the ground floor of the left pavilion. Together, surrounded by a park, offers an unobstructed view of the river and the distant mountains.

The castle was erected in 1668 by Louis Quarré, lieutenant general at the Chancery of Chalon, and his wife Philiberte de Mucia. The fief of Meix-Berthaud, created in 1428 by Jean Lebault, seigneur of Gergy, then passed to the Verderie families, then Quarré. After the extinction of this lineage, the estate fell by succession to the Lorenchets of Melonde, Gombault and Perrault of Jotemps. The building, which was listed as a historic monument in 2001, preserves remarkable elements such as a horse-drawn iron staircase, 17th century painted woodwork and an armored shield.

The architecture of the castle reflects local influences, with triangular or curved pediments, recalling the private hotels of Chalon-sur-Saône. The commons, partly in wooden strips, and the tower-porch dated 1669 complete this homogeneous whole. Although private property and not open to the public, the site illustrates the evolution of seigneurial residences in Burgundy, passing from medieval castles — such as that, disappeared, from the lords of Gergy — to the traditional pleasure houses.

The interior decor, including the woodwork on the first floor representing landscapes and a cavalier view of the castle, as well as the glazed chapel, testify to the refinement of the period. The traces of late seventeenth century murals, discovered in some rooms, underline the artistic importance of the place. The wooden dovecote, integrated with the peg tower, and the well are also part of the protected elements since the inscription of the castle.

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