Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Chenillat dungeon is a medieval building located in Cesset, in the Allier department, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Built in the 15th century, it was originally used as a vaulted passage on the ground floor, with third point doors at each end. The building has three floors accessible by a screw staircase housed in a turret. Each floor had a room lit by a window and heated by a fireplace, now gone. In an indefinite period, the dungeon was deconstructed, losing its slots and machicoulis, and its roof was lowered. Access was once done by a drawbridge.

At the end of the seventeenth century, the castle was abandoned and converted into a farm. Its history dates back to at least the 14th century, with the family of Chenillac, also called the Aix. In 1377, Hugues Le Long, husband of the daughter of Pierre de Chenillat, paid tribute to land. In the 15th century, the seigneury passed into the hands of the Le Long family, including Hugues, squire and grand provost of the feast of the Duke of Bourbon in 1495. Anthoine Le Long, his successor, recognized in 1503 the fief of the Duchess of Bourbon.

Diane de Châteaumorand, daughter of Anthoine Le Long and heroine of L-Astrée, successively married the brothers Anne and Honoré d-Urfé. The castle remained in this family until the end of the 17th century, before being acquired by Claude Brisson in 1697. He then passed to the Aumaister and Jadon families, the latter protecting him from demolition during the Revolution. In 1947, the dungeon was listed as a historical monument, reflecting the medieval defensive architecture transformed by centuries.

External links