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Origin and history

Sassangy Castle, located in Saône-et-Loire, is built in the 18th century on a terrace overlooking a valley. Its rectangular plan, marked by a central forebody surmounted by a triangular pediment and a bell tower, reflects a classical architecture. Originally, two pavilions flanked the building, demolished at the beginning of the twentieth century, while a square tower was added against the east gable. A staircase in horseshoe, with straight flights and vaulted landing, connects the castle to its park, today mostly transformed into pastures. Communes of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries occupy an echancrure of the cliff in the east.

The history of the estate dates back to 1218, the date of its first mention. In the 15th century, the fief passed to the families of Messey and Saulx, then, by marriage, to Damascus in 1584. In 1740, Antoine-François de Damas erected the present castle, completed and embellished by his cousin Jean-Pierre Damas de Thianges, who built an English-speaking park there. Sold in 1792, the estate changed hands several times: families of La Roche Nully La Carelle, de Fleurieu, then Jean-Louis Bonnot in 1923, before drier in the Bourgeon in 1960. Private property, he doesn't visit.

The castle illustrates the architectural and social evolution of Burgundy, moving from a medieval fief to an aristocratic residence of the Enlightenment. Its park, its commons and its successive transformations bear witness to the tastes and needs of the noble families who are succeeded, from the Messeys to the modern owners. The absence of visits preserves its privacy, while limiting the knowledge of its original interiors and amenities.

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