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Origin and history

The castle of Selore, located in Saint-Yan in Saône-et-Loire, finds its origins in the Middle Ages as a Burgundy fortification. At the time, the site was protected by four walls and four towers, two of which still remain today. These defences were used to protect the west wing of Charolais County, a strategic center for cattle trade under the Dukes of Burgundy. An observation tower on the Puthière mound, located 500 metres east, was used to monitor the Arconce plain, a key point to counter the armies of the Dukes of Bourbon. After the death of Charles the Temerary in 1477, the county of Charolais, and therefore Selore, passed under the domination of the Holy Roman Empire Germanic before being reinstated to the kingdom of France in 1760 under Louis XV.

The construction of the central body of the present castle dates back to the second half of the 16th century, initiated by Guillaume Baudinot de la Salle after his acquisition of the fief in 1563. The castle was then embellished and enlarged in the 17th century, notably by Palamede Baudinot, adviser to the Parliament of Dijon, who added the two lateral wings and commissioned Venetian paintings for the ceilings. The chapel, originally dedicated to Saint Maurice, was also built at that time. The coat of arms of the Pfetten-Iseux family, the current owner and descendant of the Baudinot, still adorn the southern facade.

In the 18th century, the estate changed hands several times, passing among others to Lenet, Verchère, and then to the Monteynards, who undertook an interior renovation in Louis XVI style. Baron Delaroche, lieutenant general of the king's armies, became his owner in 1814 and lived there until his death in 1845. Today, the castle, still privately owned by the Pfetten-Iseux family, houses in its communes the veneration of the Selore crew, with stables and kennels. Although classified as a historical monument since 2007 for its painted decorations, it is not open to the public.

Medieval remains, like the two towers of the Middle Ages surrounding the south terrace, recall the military history of the site. This terrace, formerly fortified, overlooks a stream of the same name and houses a French garden, delimited to the east by a canal recreated after plans of the seventeenth century. To the north, a courtyard closed by a creneled wall and a door with arms of the Pfetten-Iseux completes the architectural ensemble. The circular dovecote and the commons, arranged symmetrically, bear witness to the classical organization of the seigneurial domains of the time.

The Venetian paintings of the ceilings, recently rediscovered and restored, as well as the friezes of the seventeenth century, illustrate the artistic fascist of the Burgundy nobility. The chapel, rededited to Saint Elizabeth of Thuringia, also retains original elements. The castle of Selore thus embodies almost five centuries of history, blending medieval heritage, classical architecture and seigneurial life, in a preserved setting where art, hunting and memory of the great Burgundian festivals are combined.

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