Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The château du Creuzet came into being around 1350, when the Chaillou family, originally from Charenton, erected a first rectangular dungeon on the fief. Guillaume-Armand Chelleu was lord of the city from 1277, followed by Agnes de Chelleu in 1381. By marriage, the seigneury passed to the Thianges, a Capetian family with arms "of gold three third leaves of Gules". Philibert de Thianges, husband of Alix de Sully-Beaujeu, became his lord in 1407, consolidating the estate with the lands of Breuil-Eschart and Paray-le-Frésil.

In the 15th century, the castle was remodeled: a spiral staircase was added to the dungeon, and the structure consisted of courtines, ditches and a watchtower monitoring the valleys of Chignon and Marmande. Jacques de Thianges, the king's gentleman, lived there in 1426 and erected the cross of Coust in 1472. The chapel, mentioned in 1772, houses a Renaissance bentier and polychromes rediscovered in the 20th century. The site, dependent on the seigneury of Orval, illustrates the defensive architecture of the little rural nobility of the late Middle Ages.

The Thianges kept the castle until the 18th century, before it passed to the Geoffrenet families of the Beaux Pleins then Corbin de Mangoux. The latter finance two altars in the church of Notre-Dame de Coust. Listed at the Inventory of Historic Monuments in 2014, the site now includes the dungeon, a corner tower, a farm and the remains of the ditches. Its history reflects the marriage alliances and social ascent of a seigneurial lineage, from the Cholleu to the Thianges, through the Sully-Beaujeu.

The building, although partially mutilated, preserves remarkable elements such as the mâchicoulis crenelé bahut, the latrines and fireplaces of the seigneurial halls, or the watch tower offering strategic views of Saint-Amand-Montrond. The family of Thianges, close to the Order of Malta, also has a mansion in Saint-Amand in the 16th century, showing its regional influence. Recent excavations and restorations have highlighted its role in the Berry feudal network.

Under the Restoration, the castle changes hands before being preserved as a local heritage. Its inscription in 2014 covers the castral ensemble and the farm attire, highlighting its historical and architectural importance. The archives also mention Marie Rousset, widow of a Lord of the Creuzet at the beginning of the eighteenth century, buried at the Abbey of Bellavaux, linking the site with the religious history of the region.

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