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Origin and history

The Château du Roussay, located in Clomot (Côte d'Or), is an ancient castle whose origins date back to at least the fourteenth century. It stands on a promontory northeast of the village, overlooking the creek of the Beaune. Originally, it consisted of four buildings organized around a 40-metre square courtyard, flanked by towers and stair turrets. Its architecture reflects major transformations, especially in the seventeenth century, when two of its wings were destroyed, leaving only two bodies of parallel houses framed by towers.

The history of the castle is marked by tumultuous episodes, like the abuses of Captain Lingannade in 1589, while the castle housed a garrison. In 1613 Joachim Damascus, lord of Rousset, sold his other property, the castle of Fontaine-lès-Dijon, to the Feuillants. Around 1650, Louis de Villers-la-Faye had the eastern and western sides of the castle cut down, reducing its current structure. The protected elements include the house, the chapel, the court of honour with its well, as well as outbuildings such as stables, the cooler and the washhouse, inscribed in the Historical Monuments in 1982 and revised in 2023.

Architecturally, the present castle is distinguished by its fortified three-storey dungeon on the north side and a symmetrical tower on the south side, more residential. The north facade retains a cartway door surmounted by arrow grooves, a witness of its defensive past. Unlike many strong castles, no ditches are mentioned in the sources. The estate, including park and outbuildings, extends over several cadastral parcels, as specified in the protection decree of 2023. Its evolution illustrates the transition from a medieval fortress to a seigneurial residence, typical of the transformations of castral architecture in Burgundy.

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