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Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of the Cengle is a troglodytic tower dating back to the 10th century, located in the commune of D'Allèves in Haute-Savoie. Its name, derived from the Latin cingulum ("belt"), evokes its strategic position at the entrance of the Bange parade, controlling a narrow passage leading to the Bauges. This monument was the centre of a seigneury and a mandation of the Maison de Savoie, integrated with the Bauges castle.

In the Middle Ages, the castle was indeeded in 1352 by Count Amédée III of Geneva to François du Cengle, before passing by inheritance and alliances to families such as the d'Orlyé, the Chabod, or the Montfalcon. The tower, already in ruins in the 15th century, once housed a prison, living rooms, and a large room at the top. Its stones were reused in the 18th century to rebuild a village house after a fire.

The seigneury of the Cengle, detained "in all justice", had patibular forks to exercise its authority. Among his notable occupants, William d'Orlyé, a Dominican, lived there as a hermit from 1450 to 1458. The castle continued as a symbol of local power until the French Revolution, passed into the hands of several noble lines before being inherited by female descendants in the late eighteenth century.

The ruins of the Cengle, today a vestige of medieval military architecture, illustrate the importance of fortifications in defending the Alpine valleys. Their position above the village of Martinod and near the cave of Bange highlighted their role in monitoring and controlling the traffic axes between Savoie and Dauphiné.

The site is also linked to nearby strong houses, such as Viuz-la-Chiesaz, and influential families that have marked local history. The archives mention tributes paid to the Counts of Savoy, notably by Pierre d'Orlyé in 1406, reflecting the complex feudal ties of the region.

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