Château de Brancion

History

The castle is first mentioned in the mid-10th century. Two centuries later it belonged to the Gros family, who united the lordships of Uxelles and Brancion and often clashed with the monks of Cluny. In 1250 Josserand de Brancion, a companion of Saint Louis, died at the battle of Mansourah on crusade. His ruined heirs sold their lands, and Duke Hugh IV of Burgundy completed the purchase in 1259.

Brancion then became the seat of a ducal castellany with a permanent garrison. Between the late 13th and the 15th century the dukes carried out major works, notably the Beaujeu lodging with its fine windows. After 1477 it became a royal castellany. During the Wars of Religion it held out for the Catholic League, and in 1594 it fell for the first time in its history, to troops of Henri IV.

Decline followed until 1860, when Count Victor de Murard de Saint-Romain bought the ruins and began to raise them. His descendants restored the gardens, walls and roofs in the 20th century. Since 2005 the association La Mémoire Médiévale, under a long lease from the owner, has run the restoration work, opened the castle to visitors and organised events on the site.

Architecture

Brancion shows how castle building evolved from the Carolingian era to the Wars of Religion. You can explore the ruins of a great hall from around the year 1000, one of the rare known examples in France, the lordly castle of the 12th and 13th centuries with its towers, and a tall square keep with a panoramic view from the top. The 14th-century ducal Beaujeu lodging keeps elegant lobed windows and monumental fireplaces.