Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Salornay is located in the town of Hurigny, in Saône-et-Loire, on the hillside. Its architecture forms an irregular quadrilateral, open to the south, with two square towers at east and west angles. The southeast tower, accessible by a circular staircase turret, retains a vaulted passage preceded by a stone bridge with two arches, replacing an old drawbridge mentioned in 1644. The buildings, covered with hollow tiles, combine windows with segmental lintels and rare door openings, showing late reshaping.

The first mention of the Salornay family dates back to 1291. In 1471, Philibert de Salornay, judging the fortress vulnerable to the royal armies, abandoned it and saw it partially destroyed. The building was then restored, then passed in 1614 to Claude Botton after the sale by Georgette de Salornay, last heiress. In the 18th century, François-Charles-Albert de la Bletonnière, seigneur d'Igé, acquired the estate and modernized the apartments, modifying the openings and building a toenailler in 1801 on the location of the old ditches.

The coat of arms of successive families – Salornay, Faultrières, Chesnard and La Bletonnière – illustrate their lineage. The castle, private property since the 20th century (Guérin family), is not visited. An ancient representation, a drawing of 1885 by the inspector of Rousselot Forests, is preserved at the Macon Academy. The ditches, once filled with water, and architectural traces recall its evolution between medieval fortress and seigneurial residence.

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