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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of the bishops of Nevers, located in Urzy in the department of Nièvre (region Burgundy-Franche-Comté), is a building built mainly between 1675 and 1680 for its main part, while its commons date from 1689. This monument illustrates the civil architecture of the second half of the seventeenth century, marked by the influence of local ecclesiastical elites. The castle, partially classified and registered with the Historical Monuments, is distinguished by its facades, its roofs, as well as by related elements such as a dovecote, a gate, and a garden surrounded by ditches.

The castle was the subject of two successive protections: a first inscription in 1927 covering the whole building (with the exception of parts already classified), followed by a partial classification in 1970 for its facades and roofs. In 1992, a new inscription extended protection to commons, fence walls, bridges, and ditches, highlighting the heritage importance of the whole. Available sources, including the Merimée and Monumentum base, confirm its status as episcopal residence, typical of the representations of bishops in modern times.

The location of the castle, noted as "a priori satisfactory" (level 6/10), corresponds to address 199 Château des Évêques, 58130 Urzy, in a preserved rural setting. Although the practical information on current visits or uses (rents, guest rooms) is not specified in the sources, its state of conservation and its successive protections testify to an actively preserved heritage. The Insee code of the municipality (58300) links the site to the district of Nevers, in a territory marked by the history of the bishops and their political and religious role under the Old Regime.

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