Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Pont-d'Ain came into being before 1285, when the Sires de Coligny erected a first fortress. In the 13th century, the seigneury passed into the hands of the Tour-du-Pin through the marriage of Béatrix de Coligny with Albert III, before being assigned in 1285 to the Duke of Burgundy, then exchanged in 1289 with Count Amédée V de Savoie. Savoie's house makes it a strategic stronghold, a place of birth and residence for Savoyard princes for nearly three centuries. The castle, burned in 1327 by the Dauphin and his allies, is rebuilt and remains a major political center of the Bresse.

In 1586, the Duke Charles-Emmanuel of Savoy indeeded the seigneury to Joachim de Rye, Marquis de Treffort, who undertook around 1590 a major reconstruction of the castle, which is still evidenced by the sculpted weapons of the Rye. The monument capitulated in 1595 in front of the troops of Biron, before passing into the hands of several noble families: the Longuy, the Lesdiguières, and then the Perrachon in the 18th century. In 1735 he was handed over to Philibert de Grollier, whose descendants kept him until 1804. The castle, transformed into a retirement home for priests in 1833, preserves medieval elements (fossed, towers, 14th century wells) and arrangements of the 16th and 18th centuries.

Architecturally, the castle consists of a rectangular house on three levels, renovated in the eighteenth century, with a wooden staircase dated 1594 and a chapel painted in the nineteenth century. The courtyard, surrounded by buildings partially built on medieval walls, is home to outbuildings that preserve ancient remains (vote cellar, oven). The site, which has been listed as historic monuments since 2004, is surrounded by a park planted with centuries-old trees. Its history reflects the power struggles in Bresse, between Dauphiné, Savoy and France, as well as its role as a princely residence and a seigneurial symbol.

The castle is closely linked to Savoie's house, serving as a birthplace for figures such as Édouard de Savoie, Philibert le Beau, or Louise de Savoie (mother of François I). Marguerites de Savoie, widow of Duke Philibert, frequently resided there, even welcoming the Archduke Philippe in 1501. The relic of the Holy Shroud is exhibited there. After the Revolution, the castle changed its vocation, becoming a place of ecclesiastical retreat, marking its adaptation to successive periods, from medieval fortress to contemporary cultural heritage.

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