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Origin and history

The fortified house of Fistillieu was a 13th century medieval building, located in the town of Yenne, Savoie. It served as a seat for the seigneury of Fistillieu and probably stood on a nipple above the hamlet of Les Buchets, opposite the castle of the Dragonnière. Today, no visible trace remains, and its exact location remains uncertain.

In the 13th century, the fief and the strong house belonged to the family of Fistillieu, with Thomas de Fistillieu mentioned in 1230. In 1335 Peter of Ameysin made it recognized as a noble fief. The lineage of the Fistillieus retained the estate until the 17th century, with members in notable roles, such as Jacques de Fistillieu, treasurer of Savoie in 1406, or Claude de Fistillieu, rector of the Yenne maladry in 1460.

The seigneury changed hands over marriage alliances and transactions. In 1438, Amédée de Fistillieu acquired services at Chambuet, while in 1536 Pierre de Fistillieu served as prosecutor for the community of Yenne. In the 17th century, the strong house passed to the family of Seyssel du Châtelard, which owned it until 1730, when part of the feudal rents were sold. After that date, any trace of the fief disappeared from the archives.

No architectural vestige of the strong house survived. The available information comes mainly from written archives and local monographs, such as that of Jean Létanche in 1907, which documents the feudal ruins of the canton of Yenne. The site, though extinct, bears witness to the importance of strong houses in the Savoyard seigneurial organization in the Middle Ages.

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