Life of Guy Coquille 1523–1603 (≈ 1563)
Jurisconsult related to the history of the castle.
1811
Transmission to the Montrichard family
Transmission to the Montrichard family 1811 (≈ 1811)
Acquisition by family alliance.
7 mai 1969
First entry MH
First entry MH 7 mai 1969 (≈ 1969)
Facades, staircase, protected woodwork.
1966–1982
Restoration by the Montrichards
Restoration by the Montrichards 1966–1982 (≈ 1974)
Occupation and then sale of the castle.
22 décembre 1988
Second entry MH
Second entry MH 22 décembre 1988 (≈ 1988)
Doves and hydraulic system preserved.
25 mai 2007
Third entry MH
Third entry MH 25 mai 2007 (≈ 2007)
Protection of dependencies and homes.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Fronts and roofs; the wooden baluster staircase; the two rooms with woodwork on the ground floor; the remains of murals of the room on the first floor (Box H 23): inscription by order of 7 May 1969 - The moats; the three dormant bridges; hold tanks and their valve system (H 24, 25, 42); the fence wall; the gate with its gate (cad. H 22, 24, 25, 41, 42): inscription by order of 22 December 1988 - The four houses forming the outbuildings of the castle (H 160, 161, 212): inscription by order of 25 May 2007
Key figures
Guy Coquille - Jurisconsult and historian
Major figure of the Nivernais linked to the castle.
Comte et comtesse Gabriel de Montrichard - Owners (1966–1982)
Restoration before resale of the domain.
Origin and history
The castle of Romenay is a former fortified house located in Diens-Aubigny, in the Nièvre department (Burgogne-Franche-Comté). Built between the 17th and 18th centuries, it is distinguished by its complex hydraulic system, consisting of four rectangular basins feeding moat and a 100-metre-long canal. In the east, traces of an 18th-century French-style garden, marked by boxwood and fruit trees, remain. The site dominates the Andarge Valley, offering a landscape perspective structured by its large canal and a nymph to the south.
The history of the castle is closely linked to Guy Coquille (1523–1603), a jurisconsult and historian of Nivernais, although the house changed hands several times after his death, notably through family alliances. In 1811 it belonged to the Montrichard family, which kept it until the 20th century. Abandoned during the Revolution, the castle was partially inscribed in the Historical Monuments in 1969, 1988, and 2007, covering its facades, moats, basins, and outbuildings. In 1966, the Count and Countess Gabriel de Montrichard settled there before selling it in 1982 to Catherine and Joël Boutrolle.
The commons and dependencies, built in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, remained intact, without major changes. Protected elements include interior woodwork, wooden baluster staircase, murals on the first floor, as well as the valve system and dormant bridges. The castle thus illustrates the architectural and landscape evolution of a seigneurial residence, between original defensive function and beautifications of the Enlightenment.
