Château d’Écutigny
A moated 17th-century château on medieval foundations, reached by a listed tree-lined avenue.
- Manor
- 26 min from Beaune
- Private, seen from outside
- 15th and 17th centuries
€290for a half-day wine tour from Beaune, up to 4 guests
At a glance
- Commune
- Écutigny · Côte-d'Or
- Style
- Moated château rebuilt in the 17th century
- Heritage
- Listed historic monument
Getting there
Private driver from Beaune: 26 min by road (23 km), €100 one way for the whole car.
Coming by train or plane? Transfers from stations and airports →
About the château
The Château d'Écutigny stands at the northern edge of the small village of Écutigny, west of Bligny-sur-Ouche. An avenue and a stone bridge lead to a moated house rebuilt in the 17th century on the site of a 15th-century castle. It is a private home, and its grand salon is a classified historic monument.
History
The site has a long history. A castle mound was raised here in the 12th century, on the site of a Gallo-Roman settlement. By 1450 a fortified castle stood on the spot, and a tower and a turret holding a spiral staircase still survive from it. These medieval remains were kept when the castle was rebuilt as a more comfortable home.
The rebuilding began in the 17th century, as two stones dated 1632 and 1646 still show, and the decoration of the interiors went on into the 18th. In 1992 the main house, the outbuildings, the 18th-century entrance pillars, the moats and their bridges, the forecourt and the avenue were listed. The grand salon was classified in 1994, a higher level of protection.
Architecture
The château is surrounded by moats crossed by bridges, with a stone bridge at the entrance framed by two 18th-century pillars. The house has a barrel-vaulted basement and a well inside, under the front steps. A round dovecote stands among the outbuildings. Nearby, the village has a 19th-century wash-house of the impluvium type and the remains of a lime kiln.
Visiting
Tips for your visit
The château is a private home and is not open for regular visits. You can see the avenue, the entrance pillars and the moated house from the road on the northern edge of the village. It is a quiet detour in the hills west of Bligny-sur-Ouche, easily combined with Lusigny.
Around here
What to combine with Château d’Écutigny on the same day, nearest first.
Questions
Château d’Écutigny is about 26 min from Beaune by road (23 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €100 for the whole car, up to 4 guests.
Did you know? Two carved stones on the château carry the dates 1632 and 1646, marking the years when the medieval castle was being rebuilt as a residence.
Sources
Château d’Écutigny with a private driver
Half-day wine tour from Beaune: €290 for the car, up to 4 guests