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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The castle of Bressieux, built at the end of the 12th century by Aymard III on a castral motte, succeeds a first fortification of the 11th century attributed to a lord named Bornon. Originally built in rolled pebbles, it was rebuilt in pink bricks in the 13th century by Aymard VI, who added a dungeon and enlarged the ditches. The site, cited in 1207 as a fief of the Church of Vienna, became a strategic issue: it was honoured by the Counts of Savoy in 1317, then by the Dauphin in 1327. Upon the death of Geoffrey de Bressieux, Humbert de Grolée ran the castle after a trial.

In the 16th century, the castle welcomed François I in 1538, marking its political importance. The Barony of Bressieux, one of the four in the Dauphiné, was erected as a marquisate by Louis XIII in 1612. The current ruins, classified as a historic monument in 1904, reveal traces of 13th and 16th century houses, a 20-metre well, and a 23-metre-high circular dungeon. The site, searched in the 19th century and between 1983–1992, is now open to the public and used for role-playing.

The castle belonged to several seigneurial lines: the Bressieux (up to 1403), the Clermont, the Grolée (1420–88), the Baume de Suze, then the Valebelle and the Bérard de Gouteffrey until the Revolution. Its remains, including an entrance châtelet flanked by round towers and a dry ditch, dominate the Bièvre plain from a hill at 529 meters altitude. The dungeon, accessible by a broken arch door, offers panoramic views of the surrounding area.

In the 21st century, the castle served as a cinematic decoration, notably for Kaamelott: Premier Volet (2021). Managed by a safeguard association since 1981, it illustrates medieval and reborn military architecture, combining defensive functions (archeries, harrows) and residential (pathways, dust windows). Its history reflects the political changes of the Dauphiné, from feudality to the Ancien Régime.

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