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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of the Plessis, located on the edge of a terrace overlooking the Plessis pond in Blanzy (Saône-et-Loire), has its origins in the 13th century with a fortified enclosure, a porch tower and a drawbridge. The 14th century square tower of the Madeleine is the oldest still visible vestige. The site is mentioned for the first time in 1279 during a share estate of Duke Hugues IV of Burgundy. Over the centuries, he changed his hands: sold in 1348 to Girard Damascus, recovered in 1433 by the Duke of Burgundy to be offered to Nicolas Rolin (Chancellor of Burgundy), then transmitted in 1479 to the Levis family, which kept it until 1738. The weapons of this family are always visible on a door of the castle.

In the 18th century, the castle was restored by Blaise Quarré around 1750, which modernized the premises: filling the ditches, creating three terraces, and moving the entrance. This costly work ruined Quarré, who sold the estate in 1770 to Jean-Pierre Delglas, marquis de la Tour du Bost and treasurer of France in Lyon. The castle then underwent a major transformation between 1872 and 1906, adopting a neo-Gothic style inspired by Viollet-le-Duc, with the addition of an octagonal turret to the medieval tower. Since 1815 he has belonged to the Marquis de Barbentane family, after Catherine Delglas married the Marquis de Beauregard.

Ranked a historic monument since 1993, the castle of the Plessis remains a private property and does not visit. His history was marked by notable episodes: in 1856, the Count of Barbentane gave up lands for the creation of Montceau-les-Mines. During the Second World War, he welcomed residents of the Petit-Collège d'Avon in 1944, including the future filmmaker Louis Malle, who would inspire him for his film Au revoir les enfants. Lucie Aubrac spent her childhood there, her parents being employed at the castle, and later used the pseudonym Guillain de Barbentane for her actions in the Resistance.

The architectural ensemble, organised around a rectangular courtyard (47 m by 43 m), thus combines medieval, classical and neo-Gothic elements. The 18th century works (housework, terraces) contrast with the 19th century additions, reflecting the changing tastes and uses of a castle that remained inhabited and alive. The gardens and the castle have been protected since 1993, demonstrating their heritage value in the Burgundy-Franche-Comté region.

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