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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The castle of Saint-Aubin-sur-Loire stands on a hill overlooking the Loire and the village of Saint-Aubin-sur-Loire, in Saône-et-Loire. The site initially housed a medieval castle, abandoned in 1756 and partially demolished in 1860, some of which remain in the centre of the village. This first building, a quadrilateral with towers, was protected by the Loire, a pond and ditches. It was the residence of the lords of Saint-Aubin, including the family of Toullongeon from 1429, before passing into the hands of several noble lines such as the Vienna, the Ambly de Ramilly or the Gendre.

The present neoclassical castle was built between 1771 and 1777 by architect Edme Verniquet for Charles-Jean-Baptiste des Gallois de la Tour, first president of the Parliament of Provence and descendant of the former lords. The building consists of a rectangular central body framed with two square wings, decorated with ionic pilasters and pediments. The courtyard of honour, open to the south, is lined with L-shaped communes, pierced by vaulted passages leading to terraces overlooking the village. To the north, terraced gardens descend towards the Loire. The estate, classified as a historic monument in 1943, was left in the 19th century to the city of Bourbon-Lancy to establish a hospice, before becoming a private property.

The history of the castle is marked by changes of influential owners. In the 18th century, the seigneury belonged successively to Pierre-César du Crest (father of Madame de Genlis), then to Charles-Guillaume Le Normant d'Étiolles, husband of the Marquise de Pompadour, although he never lived there. The Revolution led to the temporary return of the estate to the Crown, before its exchange in 1771 for the wood of Senonches. In the 19th century, the Marquis d'Aligre, an heir without descendant, donated it to Bourbon-Lancy to create a hospice, now known as the hospital of Aligre. The castle, which remained in the family of Saint-Genys until 1999, was recently restored before being sold in 2019.

The remains of the old medieval castle, located in the centre of the village, recall the old fortress of the Toulongeon, built on the edge of the Loire. This first building, strategically placed, controlled a territory extending on both banks of the river, including present-day Allier lands. The castral chapel, erected as a parish church in 1695 under the Gendre, bears witness to the religious importance of the site. The financial speculation of the 18th century, including Law's bankruptcy, ransacked several owners, such as Gilbert-Charles Le Gendre, whose debts led to the sale of the Marquisat in 1751.

The 18th century castle, a remarkable example of geometric and symmetrical architecture, illustrates the taste of the era for aristocratic residences open to landscaped landscapes. The commons, blocked with stone and brick, as well as the balustrade terraces, reflect a desire for harmony between building and nature. Ranked since 1943, the estate is now a private property open to the public, after restoration campaigns aimed at preserving its authenticity. Its park, structured by a hemicycle and an alley dug into the hill, extends the monumental perspective towards the surrounding forest.

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