Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château du Poyet, located in Pouilly-sous-Charlieu, preserves a structure mainly inherited from the works of 1764-1767, while integrating 13th century remains. The southern part of the house houses a ramp-on-rail staircase and a strong room door, once extended by the St. Lawrence Chapel, which is now extinct. The building, rectangular, is flanked by two square pavilions in the east, with mansard roofs and skylights. Access is through an aisle of honour crossing moat through a bridge, leading to a facade adorned with a clock dated 1767 and a bell tower. Inside, the ground floor, distributed by a hall and a stone staircase, includes vaulted lounges, a medieval kitchen with well, and rooms of domesticity. The floors house rooms and a mezzanine library, with fireplaces from the 18th and 19th centuries.

The history of the Poyet began in 1312 with Guichard de Saix, vassal of the Count of Forez, whose family kept the fief for 250 years. In the 16th century, Anne-Minerve de Ronchevol, heir to the estate, married François de Sainte-Colombe, marking the beginning of an active lineage in the service of the kings of France. Jean-Louis Eléonor de Sainte-Colombe, born in 1733, undertook major renovations in 1764 to reside there with his wife, but was executed in Lyon in 1794. His son, Jean-Baptiste, inherited the castle until 1816, before the family separated about 1854. The estate, classified Historic Monument in 2023, includes house, moat, gardens and outbuildings.

The castle illustrates the architectural evolution between the Middle Ages and the modern era, with defensive elements (douves, strong room) and comfort facilities (wooded lounges, clock, library). Local materials, such as the flat tiles of the neighbouring tilery, and the additions of the 19th century (pathways, domesticity pieces) testify to a continuous occupation and adapted to the needs of each era. The whole, fully protected since 2023, also reflects political upheavals, such as the French Revolution that cost Jean-Louis Eléonor de Sainte-Colombe's life.

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