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Origin and history

The castle of Sermise was built between 1751 and 1753 on the heights of Sermise-sur-Loire, near the confluence of the Loire and the Allier. He was commissioned by Pierre-Jacques Girard de Vanne, lieutenant of the Marshals of France and grand baili du Nivernais, and embodied the influence of local elites in the management of forests and royal estates. Its architecture reflects the classic style of the middle of the eighteenth century, marked by a rigorous symmetry and careful interior decorations, as evidenced by the woodwork of the living room and the staircase cage protected today.

The property passed into the hands of prestigious aristocratic families: first to the Choiseuls through the marriage of the daughter of Girard de Vanne with Louis-César de Choiseul, ambassador to Turin, then to the Serents, the Talleyrand-Périgords, and finally to the Galards, princes of Béarn. In 1901 the castle was acquired by Frédéric Blandin, who built a large library in the north wing. Since the twentieth century, it belongs to the family of Vulpillières and remains partially protected as historical monuments for its facade and interior decorations.

The castle of Sermise also illustrates a cultural page: it serves as a setting for the episode The Ghosts of Christmas of the series The Tiger Brigades (1974-1983), anchoring its image in collective memory. Its inclusion in the supplementary inventory in 1988 covers facades, roofs, as well as remarkable elements such as the stone gate and wrought iron gate, highlighting its heritage value.

Its history reflects the social changes of Burgundy-Franche-Comté, from the Enlightenment to the contemporary era. First symbol of seigneurial and administrative power under the Old Regime, it became a place of private life before being open to cultural and media use. Today, although still privately owned, it bears witness to the architectural and political heritage of the Nivernais, between Loire and Morvan.

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