Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Marigny stands on a terrace overlooking the Saône, in Fleurville (Saône-et-Loire, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté). Built around 1530 by the notary Philibert Pelez, it consists of a square house body flanked by two wings, a fortified courtyard with three round cannon towers, and a hexagonal tower backed by the north wing. A circular tower in the southeast houses a dovecote, while agricultural buildings run along the west court. Access is through a basket handle door, typical of Renaissance defensive architecture.

The estate changed hands after 1650, passing to Girard Perrier, a lawyer in Parliament. In July 1789, during the Great Fear in Mâconnais, the castle was looted by "Brigands". Sold in 1796, it belonged to the Chalot and Pitré families in the 19th century, during which period the apartments were remodeled in 1880. The site remains a private property, partially classified in Historic Monuments since 1941, with an extension of protection in 2022 after the discovery of a Gallo-Roman villa under its commons.

The excavations of INRAP in 2021 revealed a pars urbana Roman villa, including rare mosaics for the region, dated from Antiquity. These remains, located under the courtyard of the castle, motivated the extension of its protection in April 2022. The archaeological diagnosis was prescribed before the rehabilitation of the communes in reception rooms, illustrating the superposition of the epochs on this site.

Architecturally, the castle combines defensive elements (cannon towers, walls) and residential elements (high two-sided roof, symmetrical wings). The north hexagonal tower, crowned with modillons, and the circular pigeon tree underline its evolution between fortress and seigneurial residence. The reshuffles of the 19th century testify to its adaptation to modern usages, while maintaining its historical character.

The underlying Gallo-Roman villa, with its mosaics and residential structures (pars urbana), suggests the ancient occupation of a rich rural estate. This discovery links the castle to a much older history, making Marigny a stratified site, where antiquity, Renaissance and modern times intersect. The protection extended in 2022 now covers these remains, strengthening the heritage value of the site.

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