Château de Saillon en Haute-Savoie

Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Saillon, located on a rocky ridge in Saillon in the canton of Valais (Switzerland), was in the Middle Ages the heart of a fortified enclosure including a village and a dungeon called the Bayard tower. It served as an administrative and military centre for the chestnutry of Savoie County, covering territories such as Fully, Branson or Leytron. Its strategic location, dominating the Rhône, made it a key point of regional control.

The first written mention of the castle dates back to the 11th century, then owned by the bishop of Sion before its attachment to Savoy County in the 12th century. He suffered two major destructions: a fire in 1384 by the Valaisans, and his final ruin in 1475 after repeated attacks. These events marked the end of his political and military role, leaving room for remains still visible today.

The enclosure of the castle included a circular dungeon (the Bayard tower), fortified gates (Fully, Leytron, Scex), and a village protected by ramparts. The dungeon, accessible by a ladder leading to an elevated door, served as the last refuge in the event of a siege. The barns, located outside the walls, show a spatial organisation typical of medieval villages, separating habitats and agricultural activities.

Today, the ruins of the castle of Saillon offer an architectural testimony of the conflicts between Savoy and Valais in the Middle Ages. Their present state reflects the destructions of the fifteenth century, while maintaining traces of their past strategic importance, such as the access gates or remains of the Bayard Tower.

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