Tournon Castle en Savoie

Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Tournon, located in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, is an ancient medieval castle built on a castral motte from the 12th century. It was the centre of Tournon's chestnut, then the county and marquisate of the same name. Located at an altitude of 420 metres on the plateau of the Tourmotte, it controlled the Isère valley and access to the valley of Faverges, in connection with the nearby castles of Chevron and Conflans. Its origins date back to an allobrogic occupation, followed by a Roman fortification, before becoming a Savoyard comtal seigneury.

In the 13th century, the castle came under the direct control of the Counts of Savoy, such as Thomas I or Amédée IV, who made repairs and granted franchises to the town. He was successively possessed by members of the Savoy family, including Boniface, archbishop of Canterbury, before being ceded in 1333 to Rodolphe de Montbel, then bought in 1357 by Amédée VI. In the 14th century, Jean de Serraval built a square tower, while the castle underwent sieges, such as that of the Dauphinian troops in 1321. It was abandoned in the 15th century and passed into the hands of noble families, including the Maillard, the Sallier and the Angleys, who transformed it into a modern residence.

The architecture of the castle combines elements from the 14th and 19th centuries, with a horse-drawn iron plan, a tower of Serraval (14th century), and a main house body built in the 17th century by Philibert Sallier. The original mound, girdled with walls, housed a 12th century dungeon, while the enclosure was flanked by two towers, including the Marine Tower, now renovated into a municipal library. The castle was the heart of a comtal châtellenie including several parishes, managed by chestnuts appointed by the Counts of Savoie. The archives mention chestnut accounts from the thirteenth century, revealing its administrative and military role.

In the 16th century, the castle was erected as a county by Pierre Maillard, governor of Chambéry, before becoming a marquisate. Sold as a national property in 1799, the property then passed to bourgeois families, such as the Guigouf-Soundag or the Perrets, then to the Angleys in 1859. The latter family, still owner, included among its members mayors of Tournon and industrialists, such as Maurice Angleys, director of Péchiney-Ugine-Kuhlmann. The site, partially in ruins, preserves remains of its medieval and Renaissance past.

Tournon's châtellenie, under Savoy's bailiff, covered parishes such as Montailleur, Cléry or Gilly. The Chatelans, often from the Savoyard nobility, collected tax revenues and maintained the castle. Among them, Nicolas Ravoyre was quoted for repairs in 1317 and 1321, while Aymon de Beaufort became a chestnut in 1383. The castle, a symbol of Comtal power, was also an issue in the conflicts between Savoy and Dauphiné, particularly in the 14th century.

External links