Château d’Ozenay
A stone-roofed manor beside a Romanesque church, held by one family for some four hundred years.
- Manor
- 57 min from Beaune
- Private, seen from outside
- 15th to 17th century
€200one way from Beaune with a private driver
At a glance
- Commune
- Ozenay · Saône-et-Loire
- Style
- Fortified manor with 17th-century additions
- Heritage
- Listed historic monument
Getting there
Private driver from Beaune: 57 min by road (69 km), €200 one way for the whole car.
Or add it to our full-day wine tour plus two hours, €700.
Coming by train or plane? Transfers from stations and airports →
About the château
The château of Ozenay stands in the heart of its village, on the road from Tournus to Cluny and beside a Romanesque church. Its stone roofs, sturdy towers and formal box garden crossed by a canalised stream make it an unusually authentic manor of the Tournugeois. The same family has owned it for about four centuries.
History
In the Middle Ages most of the land belonged to the abbey of Tournus and to the chapters of Mâcon, who granted parts of it as fiefs to lay lords. The oldest building campaign still visible is attributed to the Chacipol family at the end of the 15th century. Their arms, a checkerboard and a cockerel, still mark several window frames.
Around 1540 the château passed by marriage to Jean de Chanay, a captain at Tournus, who built a Renaissance stair tower and raised the main building. At the start of the 17th century it was bought by Claude Barthelot, a royal official in Mâcon, whose family enlarged it and laid out the formal garden. The Barthelot became marquis d'Ozenay, and their descendants still own the château.
Architecture
The main building runs north to south, with two square towers on the east and two wings on the west, the southern one ending in a large round tower. A Renaissance spiral stair serves all three levels. The roofs are partly covered with limestone slabs, and the chimney stacks carry brick openwork. A detached square dovecote, a 17th-century gateway and an old press house complete the estate.
Visiting
Tips for your visit
The château is a private family home and is not open for public tours, so please respect the owners' privacy. It stands in the village centre next to the Romanesque church. Ozenay lies between Tournus and Brancion, an easy stop on the scenic road towards Cormatin and Cluny.
Around here
What to combine with Château d’Ozenay on the same day, nearest first.
Questions
Château d’Ozenay is about 57 min from Beaune by road (69 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €200 for the whole car, up to 4 guests.
Did you know? The old vat house at Ozenay shelters a great-beam wine press in exceptional condition, dating from the late Middle Ages and protected as a historic monument in its own right.
Sources
Château d’Ozenay with a private driver
€200 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests