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Origin and history

The castle of Novéry is an ancient fortress located in Minzier, Haute-Savoie, mainly dating from the 15th and 17th centuries. This monument, typical of Savoyard buildings, is characterized by a round tower partially arased, a staircase with screws and architectural elements redesigned in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, such as windows, French ceilings, and a fireplace decorated with arms and family currency. He once monitored the road from Geneva to Seyssel, highlighting its strategic role in the region.

Originally, the castle belonged to the family of Novéry before being confiscated by the count of Geneva in the thirteenth century. He changed his hands several times by marriage or sale: the Monthoux family in 1352, the Vidomne de Chaumont in 1415, then the Marquis Henri-Joseph Milliet de Challes in the 18th century. After his death in 1777, he passed to his sister, Catherine-Françoise Milliet de Challes, before being acquired by bourgeois families in the 19th and 20th centuries, such as the Jacquet, Hausermann, Lowe, and finally Magnin in 1977.

The castle retains remarkable elements, including a chapel with a hagioscope (opening to listen to Mass from an adjacent room) and a liturgical sink. A tower of murderers also served as latrines. The transformations of the 16th and 17th centuries added decorative details, such as a 1650 bread oven and a 1678 fireplace. Partially listed as Historic Monuments in 1993, it includes the house, the commons, the courtyard, a fountain and a paved driveway.

Its history reflects the feudal and seigneurial dynamics of Savoy, marked by matrimonial alliances and property changes linked to local noble families. The confiscation by the Count of Geneva in 1288-1289, followed by exchanges with the family of Confignon, illustrates the political tensions of the time. The Vidomne de Chaumont, then the Milliet de Challes, left their architectural and heraldic imprint there, testifying to their social status.

Today, the Castle of Novéry embodies a military, residential and religious heritage, where defensive functions (tour, murderers) and daily life (chapel, bread oven) are combined. Its inscription in the Historical Monuments protects a representative set of Savoyard fortified houses, between the Middle Ages and the modern era.

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