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Origin and history

Somont Castle, formerly known as Soubmont or Soubmont (meaning "under the mountain"), is a 13th-century fortified house, which was completely renovated in the 19th century. Located 3 km east of Yenne (Savoie), it was the seat of the Somont seigneury, erected in 1733 by Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia. Its architecture combines a body of quadrangular lodges flanked by two round towers (XIII and XV centuries), with gin windows and wooden ceilings of the period.

The Somont family, attested from the twelfth century, accompanied the Counts of Savoy during the crusades. Ulrich de Somont took part in the second crusade in 1147 alongside Amédée III. Subsequent generations, such as Bruno (1209), Pierre (1273), or Olivier (1320, the Count's gunman), consolidated their local influence. Antoine de Somont, last male heir, capitulated in 1490, transmitting the fief to his daughter Huguette, wife of Pierre de La Forest, ambassador of Duke Charles III.

In the 16th century, the seigneury passed to the La Forest, then to the Mareschals of Luciane in 1730 via the marriage of Charlotte de La Forest. The county was briefly confiscated during the Revolution: sold in 1798 to Jeanne-Hélène de Longecombe, he returned to the Mareschals by alliance. In the 19th century, the castle changed hands several times, including the Pullini and La Forest-Divonne families, before being acquired by the Rosselot family in 1940. A controversial restoration at the end of the 19th altered its towers.

The building preserves notable medieval elements, such as a broken 13th century arch porch and monumental chimneys. The coat of arms of the 16th century, visible on the sill windows, bear witness to its past prestige. Despite the changes, he embodied the Savoyard feudal heritage, marked by noble alliances and architectural transformations linked to the eras.

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