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Origin and history

The manor house of La Forest, also known as Rossillon Castle, is a strong house built at the end of the 14th century on the town of Rossillon, in the Ain. Dated precisely from 1398, it was built under the impulse of Guillaume de La Forest, named chestnut that same year, replacing the old ruined castle located on the nearby rock. This U-shaped building, flanked by a square tower (pigeon tower) and a round tower with a spiral staircase, illustrates the defensive and residential architecture of the era. His pieces have kept their original volumes, chimneys and decors of false apparatus, testifying to its continuous use until modern times.

Rossillon, the capital of chestnut and bailiwick of Savoy States until 1326, lost his administrative role after a fire in 1353 during the conflict of Delphino Savoyard, which destroyed much of the village. The siege of the bailiffs was then transferred to Belley. La Forest's strong house then became a symbol of local power, linked to the La Forest family for more than a century. This line, close to the Counts of Savoie, occupied prestigious offices: Guillaume de La Forest, chamberlain and ambassador, had the choir of the nearby church rebuilt where he was buried in 1440.

In the 19th century, the manor house was transformed into a prison, then a horse-drawn gendarmerie barracks in the early 20th century, before being listed as a historical monument in 2005. Its history reflects the political changes in the region, passed from the States of Savoy to the Kingdom of France after 1536, when François I's empara du Bugey. The family of La Forest, whose Philibert paid tribute to the king for his chestnut, made a lasting mark of local history, as evidenced by the visible weapons in the church and the family burials.

The architectural complex, partially restored, includes a two-storey house, vaulted outbuildings (old stables and reserves), and an esplanade adjacent to the church, itself enlarged by the lords of La Forest. The foothills and square tower, characteristic of the strong houses of the late Middle Ages, recall its role both defensive and residential. Today, the mansion remains an emblematic vestige of Savoyard history and medieval heritage of Ain.

The construction of the mansion coincided with the period when Rossillon temporarily became the capital of Bugey, replacing the ruined castle. This shift of local power towards a more modest but functional building illustrates the political and military adaptations of the period. The lords of La Forest, like Antoine (Governor of Nice) or Hugues, maintained their influence until the 16th century, before the offices of chestnut declined, reflecting the evolution of feudal structures under French authority.

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