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Origin and history

The castle of Quemigny-sur-Seine finds its origins in the 13th century, with a square dungeon still visible today. This fief, integrated into the Ducal estate of Burgundy in 1300, served as an advanced post for the castle of Duesme. The descriptions of 1495 and 1584 reveal a fortified ensemble: a tower surrounded by moat, an old house body, and closed outbuildings of walls. The site, then modest, reflected medieval defensive architecture with its mâchicoulis and drawbridge.

In the 18th century, the castle was acquired in 1743 by Louis Bichot Morel de Corberon, the chief accountant of the parliament of Dijon, who began its reconstruction from 1749. The project, described in a 1750 declaration, preserves the medieval tower while adoring a new building. Although the architect remains anonymous, clues suggest Claude-Louis d'Aviler. Corberon sold the estate in 1757 to Louis de Guénichon, whose property would be sequestered during the Revolution.

The 19th century marked a transformation of the castle under the impulse of the Marquise de Montmort, descendant of the mathematician Pierre Rémond de Montmort. It modernises the interiors, sometimes at the expense of the original decorations, before the domain passes into the hands of the Marquis de Virieu. In 1880, Abbé Perny, a Parisian chaplain, acquired the castle and remodeled the upper floors to house domestics and guests. Ranked a historic monument in 1975, it remains a private property.

The current architecture blends the medieval dungeon, with a roof with a pavilion, and a body of classical houses framed by two round towers. The moat, partially preserved, recalls its defensive past. Inside, the dining room, vaulted living room, and a work room with its woodwork are protected. The castle, still inhabited, bears witness to the stylistic and social changes of Burgundy from the 13th to the 19th century.

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