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Origin and history

The castle of Faverges, located in the Haute-Savoie department on the town of Faverges-Seythenex, is an ancient 13th century castle, renovated in the 15th century. It stands at an altitude of 500 metres, on a foothill of the Crêt de Chambellon, on the border of the former counties of Savoie and Geneva. This strategic site commanded a secondary Roman road linking Moutiers to Geneva, playing a key role in the conflicts between the houses of Savoie and Geneva, as well as in the takeover of the Faucigny after the Treaty of Paris in 1355.

A first castle was mentioned as early as 1112 in a charter of the diocese of Maurienne, as possession of the sires of Faverges. This document attests to the existence of a castra on the Crêt de Chambellon, probably prior to the present castle. In the 13th century, the seigneury belonged to the Sires of Giez, then was sold in 1293 to Amédée V de Savoie, who took over it in 1316 after having bought it from Rodolphe de Faverges. The castle became an issue in the rivalries between Savoie and Geneva, notably under Agnès de Savoie, wife of Guillaume III of Geneva, in 1321.

From the 15th century on, the castle was rebuilt and given to the cadets of the Maison de Savoie, Counts of Genevois. In 1501 Philibert II de Savoie attempted to sell it to François de Luxembourg, but the transaction was cancelled. Charles III de Savoie finally gave it in 1526 to Luxembourg-Martigues, before Emmanuel Philibert attributed it in 1571 to Louis Milliet, founding the Milliet de Faverges family, which kept it until the Revolution. The castle welcomed Henri IV in 1600 during the Franco-Savoyard war.

In the 19th century, the castle was transformed into a silk factory by Jean-Pierre Duport, then into a workshop until 1976, after serving as a military hospital during the First World War. In 1980, the commune of Faverges bought it back to become a family holiday home, before it was taken over in 2017 by Alexandra and Maximilien Genèvre for private events. The 32-metre-high dungeon, representative of the 13th century Savoyard Castral architecture, was restored in 2006-2007.

The castle has been partially listed as historical monuments since 1991, covering the dungeon, the court floor and the south support walls. Its history reflects the political and economic dynamics of Savoy, from its medieval military role to its modern industrial adaptation.

The Châteaullenie de Faverges, centered on the castle, was part of the bailliage of Savoie. The Chatelans, officers appointed to manage the commission, collected tax revenues and maintained the site, illustrating the feudal administrative organization of the region.

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