Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Chessy, founded in the 12th century, was rebuilt around 1270 by Abbé Amédée de Roussillon for Savigny Abbey. This castle, with a cylindrical dungeon and a quadrangular loudspeaker equipped with archères, marks a defensive evolution in the 13th century. It illustrates one of the first Lyon fortifications of this type, designed to withstand assaults with sloping walls and suitable shooting openings.

In the 15th century, the castle was enlarged with two houses outside the original enclosure, reflecting a period of prosperity before being ruined during the Wars of Religion. The neglect of the trading abbots accelerated its degradation, until its restoration in the 19th century in a neo-Gothic style. This renovation includes a reception room decorated with woodwork, stained glass and medieval elements, as well as the transformation of the old enclosure into a rock garden.

In 1971, the decorator Vital-Durand undertook a new renovation of the castle, renovating the interiors and creating a contemporary garden playing on the plant masses. The site, partially transformed into a green space since the Revolution, preserves traces of its successive developments: an artificial 19th century cave and medieval defensive structures. Ranked a historic monument in 2004, the castle today bears witness to almost eight centuries of history, mixing military, religious and artistic heritage.

The castle today consists of the cylindrical dungeon in beautiful apparatus, vestiges of the primitive enclosure, and house of the 15th-XVIth centuries. Its initially defensive grip has become a place of life and reception, with medieval elements, neo-Gothic additions and modern landscape creations. The fortified gate, archeries and successive gardens offer a complete overview of its architectural and functional evolution.

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