Château de Besanceuil
A fortified manor of the 1380s near Cormatin, softened over the centuries with painted panelling.
- Manor
- 59 min from Beaune
- Private, seen from outside
- 14th to 18th century
€210one way from Beaune with a private driver
At a glance
- Commune
- Bonnay · Saône-et-Loire
- Style
- Fortified manor with 17th and 18th-century additions
- Heritage
- Registered historic monument
Getting there
Private driver from Beaune: 59 min by road (73 km), €210 one way for the whole car.
Coming by train or plane? Transfers from stations and airports →
About the château
Besanceuil stands on a slope at the western edge of Bonnay, a few kilometres west of Cormatin. Its main house of the 1380s is flanked by square towers, and later owners added a stone gateway, a new wing and painted rooms. The whole ensemble was listed as a historic monument in 2008.
History
In the 13th century the fief belonged to the Tenay family, who built a fortified house here. The present building was raised around 1383 to 1385, and of that ensemble survive the rectangular main house with three square towers and a turret of the first enclosure. A spiral stair tower was added in 1466. In 1586 the estate passed by marriage to Jean de Mincé.
In 1645 Besanceuil passed to Jean-Baptiste de Prisque, whose descendants kept it until the Revolution. From 1647 the château was brought up to date: the walls linking the towers were lowered, and a rusticated stone gateway was built for the great courtyard. Around 1778 a new wing and all the outbuildings were built on the site of the old cemetery.
Architecture
The main house is a rectangle flanked by square towers, with a four-sided tower against the centre of the façade. Several rooms keep their old decoration. The ground-floor salon and dining room have moulded panelling framing 18th-century paintings on canvas, and a large first-floor room shows panelling with mythological scenes. One tower keeps 19th-century wallpapers, and a dovecote stands among the outbuildings.
Visiting
Tips for your visit
Besanceuil is a private home and is not open to visitors, so please respect the owners' privacy. It lies a few kilometres west of Cormatin, whose château and gardens are open from spring to autumn, and close to the small Romanesque churches of the Clunisois.
Around here
What to combine with Château de Besanceuil on the same day, nearest first.
Questions
Château de Besanceuil is about 59 min from Beaune by road (73 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €210 for the whole car, up to 4 guests.
Did you know? In the late 17th century a grand bedchamber was created on the first floor, and the old mullioned windows disappeared as the fortress became a country house.
Sources
Château de Besanceuil with a private driver
€210 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests