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Somont Castle en Savoie

PLFD (oeuvre personnelle).

Timeline

Moyen Âge central
Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1200
1300
1400
1500
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
XIIe siècle
First mentions of Somont family
1335-1490
Apex of the seigneury
1733
County Erection
1798
Revolutionary sale
XIXe siècle
Restoration and change of owners
1940
Acquisition by the Rosselot family
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Key figures

Ulrich de Somont - Lord and cross Participates in the second crusade (1147).
Antoine de Somont - Last male heir Captain of archers, died in 1490.
Pierre de La Forest - Ambassador and new lord Wife Huguette de Somont in 1490.
Jacques de Mareschal de Luciane - First Earl of Somont Titled in 1733 by Charles Emmanuel III.
Jeanne-Hélène de Longecombe - Revolutionary buyer Purchase the estate in 1798.
Michel Holl - Owner in 1940 Precedes the Rosselot family.

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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