Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Septème, located in the Isère department, is an ancient castle whose origins date back to the 11th century, with major changes in the 13th, 14th and 16th centuries. The site concentrates the remains of a first 11th century castle, a 13th century enclosure, and a 14th-15th century quadrangular castle, surrounded by a wall of 1 km with archères and round path, attributed to the Master Jacques de Saint Georges for the Counts of Savoy. This "Vincennes à la Savoyard", as described by historian Bernard Demotz, was a strategic issue between the houses of Savoie, the Dauphins of Vienna and the Church of Lyon.

The castle passed into the hands of Philippe de Savoie in 1249, after his purchase from Guillaume de Beauvoir, then was ceded to the Dauphins of Vienna in 1355 by the Treaty of Paris. In the 16th century, Louis Adhémar de Grignan, governor of Lyonnais, reigned him deeply, raising the dungeon of a Renaissance gallery and transforming a 12th century strong house into a seigneurial house. Ruined during the Revolution, the castle is now owned by the Kergorlay family, which opens up to the public and organizes cultural events.

The ramparts, the remains of the first castle and the round road were listed as a historical monument in 1942, while the castle, its concierge and its park (designed by Gabriel Luizet) were listed in 1947. The site also houses a 60-metre well, a 20th-century French garden, and peacocks in semi-freedom. Charles IX and Catherine de Medici stayed there in 1564, marking its importance in regional history.

External links