Tower Gaillarde en Savoie

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Origin and history

The Gaillarde Tower, also known as the Plancherine Tower, is an old house built in the 14th century on the town of Plancherine, Savoie. Located 630 metres above sea level, north of the village and at the foot of the Tamié Pass, it is part of a larger architectural complex, probably built by the Beaufort family. At the end of the 14th or early 15th century, the Count of Savoie attributed the temporal seigneury of Plancherine to the abbots of Tamié, who became owners of it, including the strong house and an adjoining chapel.

Between the 16th and 17th centuries, the tower served as a summer residence for the abbots of Tamié, while the abbey was placed as a beginning. In 1509, Abbé Alain Lacerel had a water supply system built there from the Duy fountain, under Versonnaz, to feed the house. In 1538, Pierre de Beaufort, prior general of Cîteaux, housed his seven bastard sons there. The reform of the abbey in 1677 by Abbé de Somont put an end to its use as an abbey residence.

During the French Revolution, the tower was sold as a national property and passed into the hands of several private owners. Today, it is a derailed quadrangular house, keeping three pierced levels of trilobed openings, including a 14th century geminate bay. Its architecture bears witness to its medieval origin and its past role in local seigneurial and religious life.

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