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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château du Petit Montjeu, built in the early 17th century (completed in 1620), is a former pleasure mansion located south of Autun, in Burgundy-Franche-Comté. Rather than a fortified castle, it is a body of rectangular houses decorated with a closed park, with a south facade adorned with a dual baluster staircase and a column-framed porch. Its architecture, initially classical, was altered in 1866 by the addition of a Gothic pavilion on the west side, higher than the main building. Today, it serves as a prestigious rental residence and does not visit.

The site derives its name from the former seigneury of Montjeu-en-Autun, distinct from the city before the 14th century and belonging to the lords of Riveau, then to the Dukes of Burgundy. In 1596, President Jeannin acquired the estate and abandoned the old feudal home to build the Petit Montjeu. The seigneury became a marquisate in 1655, under Nicolas Jeannin de Castille. The castle then houses historical figures such as Louise-Françoise de Bussy-Rabutin (d. 1716) or Alphonse-Henri de Lorraine (1719), before being associated with the Mac-Mahon family in the 19th century.

Partially classified as historical monuments in 1994 for its facades, roofs and staircase, the castle fell negligent at the end of the 20th century under the property of Count J. de Hauteville. Renovated in the mid-2000s, it preserves traces of its architectural transformations, combining classical and neo-gothic styles. Its history reflects the social and political developments of Burgundy, from medieval lords to modern elites.

The estate is bordered by the Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Blaise (to the west) and the Routes de la Mine and Montjeu (to the south), in an area formerly outside the walls of Autun. The inscription that suos patimur manes on the perron recalls his aristocratic past. Although modified, the castle remains a testimony of Burgundian residential architecture, between pleasure function and power symbols.

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