Château d’Épinac
Nicolas Rolin's castle above the Drée valley, which gave its name to the town of Épinac.
- Medieval fortress
- 34 min from Beaune
- Private, seen from outside
- 15th century, restored in the 19th and 21st
€560for a full-day wine tour from Beaune, up to 4 guests
At a glance
- Commune
- Épinac · Saône-et-Loire
- Style
- Late medieval castle
- Official website
- chateaudepinac.com
Getting there
Private driver from Beaune: 34 min by road (33 km), €120 one way for the whole car.
Coming by train or plane? Transfers from stations and airports →
About the château
The Château d'Épinac stands on the tip of a plateau in front of the town, looking over the wide valley of the Drée. Nicolas Rolin, the chancellor who founded the Hospices de Beaune, bought and rebuilt it in the 15th century. Today it is a private house, let as a holiday home.
History
The lordship, first called Monestoy, is recorded in 1209, and a fortified house is mentioned in 1326. In 1430 Nicolas Rolin, chancellor to Duke Philip the Good, bought the estate and carried out major rebuilding, and his descendants kept it for generations. Later the name Épinac replaced Monestoy, and in 1641 the estate passed by inheritance to the Clermont family.
In the 1730s Marshal Gaspard de Clermont-Tonnerre, lord of Épinac, began searching for coal here, which led to a glassworks and later to the mines of Épinac. During the Revolution his son was guillotined in 1794, and the estate was confiscated and sold. Two towers were pulled down before the industrialist Samuel Blum bought the remains and stopped the demolition.
Architecture
Two main buildings with very high roofs survive from Rolin's castle, meeting at an angle marked by a small corbelled turret. To the north-west stands a massive square stone tower of four storeys. To the south-east, a square tower set at an angle once guarded the entrance and the drawbridge. A polygonal turret holds the staircase, and part of the outer wall remains beyond the gardens.
Visiting
Tips for your visit
The castle is private and is not open for visits. It is let as a large holiday house, so you can only see it from outside, from the town and the road below. Épinac is on the way between Beaune and Autun, a short detour from the Château de Sully.
Around here
What to combine with Château d’Épinac on the same day, nearest first.
Maranges
14 km awaySaint-Romain
15 km awaySaint-Aubin
16 km away
- Nature and viewpoint
Mont de Sène (Hill of the Three Crosses) Mont de Sène (Montagne des Trois Croix)
15 km away
Questions
Château d’Épinac is about 34 min from Beaune by road (33 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €120 for the whole car, up to 4 guests.
Did you know? The castle gave its name to the town: the old name of Monestoy was replaced by Épinac, and the coal found on the estate later made Épinac a mining town.
Sources
Château d’Épinac with a private driver
Full-day wine tour from Beaune: €560 for the car, up to 4 guests