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Origin and history

Grammont Castle, also known as Lugny Castle, is a former castle rebuilt in 1771 in Lugny-lès-Charolles, Saône-et-Loire. Originally, it was the centre of the Lugny seigneury and one of the four baronies in Charolais County. His medieval history dates back at least to the eleventh century, where he was probably possessed by Geoffroy, lord of Semur-en-Brionnais, and then passed on to his son Hugues with the castle of Cousan-en-Forez. From the 13th to the 15th century, the seigneury, erected in Barony, belonged to the Damascus family of Cousan, before passing to the Levis by marriage in 1427.

In 1433, the land was confiscated by Nicolas Rolin, Chancellor of the Duke of Burgundy, because of the alliance of the Levis with the king of France. Returned in 1479, she remained in this family until 1794, when Marc-Antoine II de Lévis, the last seigneur, was executed. The latter had the castle rebuilt in 1771 by architect Edme Verniquet, transforming a medieval fortress into a classical residence, while preserving defensive elements such as thick walls and murderers in the cellars.

The castle, which was listed as a historical monument in 1964, preserves its 18th-century interior decoration, with panels, paintings and landscapes in the dining room. Its English park, commons, orangery and dovecote complete a preserved architectural ensemble. After 1794, he passed through inheritance and successive sales to the families of Croix, Croÿ, and then Grammont, still owner today.

The former medieval fortress, described as surrounded by ditches, towers and a drawbridge, was replaced by a polygonal building with a central body and two wings in return for square. The courtyard façade, adorned with a grill and a cochère door, opens onto a forecourt framed by communes. The estate also includes a vegetable garden cultivated according to ancient plans, testifying to its evolution throughout the centuries.

The reconstruction of 1771 marked an aesthetic turning point, where Verniquet was able to combine the 18th century cannons ending with medieval remains, such as the round tower and thick walls. The weapons of the Lévis and the Damascus of Cousan, visible on the door of the stairway tower, remind the noble families that marked its history, from medieval lords to revolutionary owners.

Today, the castle of Grammont illustrates both the feudal heritage of the Charolais and the architectural transformations of the Enlightenment, while remaining a living testimony of local history, preserved by its successive owners since the 19th century.

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