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Origin and history

The Château de Rochetaillé is a former 12th century castle, which was profoundly renovated in the 19th century. Located on a rocky spur overlooking the Saône and the Echets Valley, it illustrates medieval military architecture adapted to a strategic site. Its history is marked by successive transformations, notably after a fire in 1562 and restorations in the 17th and 19th centuries.

Originally, the castle is linked to the Church of Lyon: in 1151, Étienne de Villars engaged the seigneury and toll to the Abbey of Île Barbe. In the 14th century, the fief became an "obeyance", a religious jurisdiction in Lyon. Ravaged by the Huguenots in 1562, then touched by the plague (1628-1629) and floods (1636), it was partially rebuilt in the seventeenth century by the mansionnaires, including Antoine de Foudras.

Sold as a national property in 1790, the castle fell into ruins before being restored from 1892 by Pierre Claude Bellingard, then by Jean Joseph Clerc in 1902. Henri Malartre acquired him in 1959 to found his automobile museum. Since 1972, it has belonged to the city of Lyon. Today, it preserves medieval elements such as a Romanesque door and a castral chapel, as well as Renaissance and modern additions.

The site thus combines defensive remains (round tower, reinforced system in the 15th century) and renovated spaces, such as the 18th century chapel. Its evolution reflects the political and religious stakes of the region, from the Middle Ages to its contemporary museum vocation.

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