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Origin and history

The Tour des Comtes de Genève, in La Roche-sur-Foron, is the last vestige of the Château de La Roche (or Castrum de Rupe), built in the 13th century on a rocky spur overlooking the Foron valley. This strategic site, occupied since the 11th century, was a key fortress of the Counts of Geneva, then of the Counts of Savoy. Its circular dungeon, innovative for the time, removed blind spots, marking an evolution in Savoyard military architecture.

The castle was first mentioned in 1120 under the term castra, then in the hands of Count Robert of Geneva. In the 12th century, it became a comtal residence before the Counts preferred Annecy. The present tower, built in the 13th century, was erected on a natural fault of a glacial erratic block, with four cellars superimposed and three floors. It symbolized the power of the Counts of Geneva, who lived there until the 14th century.

The monument was the scene of major conflicts: besieged in 1178 during a vassal rebellion, then in 1219 by Pierre II de Savoie against Rodolphe de Genève. In 1392, Pierre de Genève left him to his wife Marguerite de Joinville, before he passed into the hands of the Counts of Savoie in 1411. Ravaged in 1590 during the wars between Savoy and Geneva and France, he lost his defensive function. Only the dungeon, inscribed in the Historical Monuments in 1944, remains today.

The tower, 11 meters high (out of the 20 originals), rests on a 17 meters rock, with walls of nearly 4 meters thick. It was accompanied by a house and an angled shield wall, reflecting 13th century military innovations. The site was also the center of a comtal chestnut, managed by a vidomne (or grand-châtelain), often from the local nobility such as Menthon or Sales.

In the 17th century, the castle and its outbuildings were bequeathed to the Duchess of Savoie, Christine de France, then erected as a marquisat. The capuchins, owners in the 19th century, perceived the rock to create a passage, giving the illusion of two distinct blocks. Today, the tower bears witness to the feudal history of Savoy and its role in regional conflicts between Geneva, Savoy and France.

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