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Origin and history

The Château des Ducs de Bourgogne, in Châtillon-sur-Seine, is a former castle founded in the 10th century, whose remains stand on a cliff overlooking the Seine. Originally, this site housed a castrum occupied by the bishops of Langres, who had a church there that had housed the relics of Saint Vorls since 868. In 973, the castrum was shared between the bishop and the Duke of Burgundy, marking the beginning of a cohabitation in a common enclosure. The present castle, built in the 12th century by the Duke, partially integrated the site of the old castrum, with a rebuilt church (Saint-Vorles) nearby.

The current remains reveal a turbulent history: damaged by the English in 1359, the castle may have been partially rebuilt in the 14th century, as evidenced by traces of recovery on the walls. After the wars of the League, the inhabitants dismantled it in 1598, authorized by letters patent of Henry IV. In the 17th century, the ground floor of the Sainte-Anne Tower was used as a guard corps, then transformed into a bread oven, probably in the 19th century. The ruins, consolidated between 1979 and 1982, also house a cemetery since at least the nineteenth century, including the tomb of Marshal Marmont.

The site retains three main towers: the Gissey Tower (north, linked to the episcopal enclosure), the Sainte-Anne Tower (southwest, reduced to its ground floor), and the Guette Tower (southeast, partially collapsed). These remains, classified as historical monuments in 1909, offer a panorama of the city and the Seine valley. Their arrangement reflects the medieval organization, where the Ducal and Episcopal powers coexisted in the same fortress, symbol of their alliance after 973.

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