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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de la Motte, located in Épervans in Saône-et-Loire, has its origins in the 11th century with an attested feudal motte, owned by Hugo des Barres. This fief, dependent on Saint-Marcel for justice, evolved over the centuries under various seigneurial families. At the end of the 18th century, François Mercier, adviser to the Parliament of Burgundy and seigneur of the place, resided there after marrying a Miss Sousselier. The estate then passed to the Laberly, direct descendants, who kept it until the 20th century.

From the 19th century, the castle consisted of two buildings framed by a courtyard, accessible by an imposing square peg tower, probably a vestige of an old drawbridge. A small chapel tower completed the whole. Abandoned and looted, the building quickly degraded, leaving only the peg tower (stowed), the chapel and a half-timbered shed standing. These elements, typical of local architecture (like the Champforgeuil tower), were preserved by successive owners.

The Laberly family died in 1970 with Mrs. Fougeron, the last heiress, and the estate was sold to Robert Gehin. In the 1980s he became a horse club before being bought in the 1990s by Jean-Marc Royer, current owner. He had the remains classified in 1995 and restored the tower, saving part of the heritage. The castle, a private property, remains inaccessible to the public.

The history of the site was documented in 1878 by M. Canat de Chizy in Mottes feudales in the former bailliage of Chalon, stressing its importance in the Burgundy feudal network. The architectural traces, like the drawbridge slots, bear witness to its initial defensive role, before its transformation into a seigneurial residence and then into an agricultural and equestrian domain.

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