Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The estate of La Garde, located in Bourg-en-Bresse in Ain, has its origins in the Middle Ages. Its name evokes an advanced defensive position, probably a modest wooden or brick building, protected by circular palisade and ditches. This hypothesis is reinforced by its proximity to the Reyssouze, which in the 11th century marked the boundary of the parish of Brou. The Guard lost its military role to become an agricultural estate, while retaining its status as a fief, as evidenced by the tribute paid by the Guyot brothers to the Count of Savoy in 1323.

In the 15th century, under Amédée VIII, the lords of La Garde were forced to send their men to defend Bourg, for lack of a strong house capable of resisting. The Guyot, lords of both La Garde in Bourg and Tossiat, also had links with the neighbouring Bouvent estate. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Bachet family, including Claude-Gaspard (founding member of the French Academy in 1635), owned it. At the Revolution, the estate, then agricultural with dependencies typical of the Bressan farms, was seized and returned.

In 1816 Sabine Mantellier acquired La Garde, who then passed to his sister Claudine, wife of Claude Chossat de Montburon. Their descendant, Adrien-Gaëtan, built between 1870 and 1875 the present neo-Palladian villa, surrounded by a park of 14 hectares. The stables, renovated in the 21st century, now house cultural activities. Since 2014, the domain belongs to Mr. and Mrs. von Kirchbach, who have made it a place open to the public and dedicated to culture.

The park, planted with rare species by successive owners, and the castle, formerly surrounded by agricultural outbuildings (vaches, sheep, pigs), illustrate the evolution of a medieval site into a contemporary heritage estate. The architectural and documentary traces underline its historical importance, between defence, agriculture and cultural outreach.

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