Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Montmayeur Castle, built between the 12th and 13th centuries on Mount Raillant in Villard-Sallet (Savoie), was the cradle of the Montmayeur family. It controlled a major axis between Chambéry and Italy via the Maurienne, and was raised in county in 1449. Its ruins, including two 14th century square towers, have been protected since 1989 as a historical monument.

Mentioned in 1173 in the dowry of Alix de Savoie, the castle was infused by Thomas I of Savoie to a branch of the Briançon-Aigueblanche, which took the name of Montmayeur. In the 13th century, it housed a strong house and a Saint-Julien church. Gaspard II of Montmayeur, Marshal of Savoy, the remania around 1380–16 by adding four corner towers to the rectangular enclosure.

Abandoned at the end of the 15th century, the castle fell into ruins after 1536, described as "never closed." Destroyed in 1597 by the troops of Lesdiguières, its remains were integrated in 1997 into the route "Pierres-fortes de Savoie". The excavations revealed the foundations of houses, an oven, and a 12th century church, reflecting a continuous occupation until the 15th century.

The fossilized enclosure (250 m long) also housed non noble dwellings and an oven. The east dungeon, 33 m high, and the west tower (25 m) illustrate medieval military architecture. The site, owned by the Counts of Radicati until 1758, was sold to the Marquis d'Arvillard for 65,000 pounds, then reduced to "two towers discovered" and "masures".

Today, the towers and archaeological site, registered in 1989, offer a rare testimony of Savoyard castles. Their schist aircraft and defensive systems (archères, pont-levis) underline their role as border fortress. Archaeological research, such as that of Jean-Michel Poisson (2012), has specified the spatial organization of the castrum and its gradual decline.

External links