House of Vons en Haute-Savoie

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Key figures

Origin and history

The fort house of Vons, located in the hamlet of Marigny-Saint-Marcel (Haute-Savoie), is a quadrangular building typical of medieval seigneurial residences. Set on a hillside overlooking the Cheran River, it is distinguished by a west façade pierced with 15th-century sill windows, a square tower housing a dovecote, and a pepper scallop. Although its exact origins remain unknown, architectural elements such as a bentier decorated with a patted cross and a screw staircase decorated with shells evoke a tradition linking the site to the Templars, without formal historical evidence.

From the 15th to the 18th century, the seigneury of Vons passed into the hands of Savoyard noble families. The Richards of Alby owned it from 1443 to 1727, before the seigneury was divided between the Gantelets of Vectier and the La Faverge de Montpon, successors of the Richards of Alby. After a succession of private owners, whose Pointud family until 2014, the estate has been owned since 2016 by the Cotton family, which is beginning its restoration. The interior preserves remarkable elements such as a 17th century moulure fireplace and a "French" ceiling.

Although without its original enclosure, the strong house retains remains such as the remains of a "prisoner tower" located at the entrance to the court. Its architecture, combining defensive functions (round tower, fortified dovecote) and residential (comfortable logis), illustrates the evolution of fortified houses in Savoy between the Middle Ages and the modern era. References to his Templar past, although popular, are based solely on symbolic elements and not on documented archives.

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