Château de Chailly

History

In the 12th century Chailly was a simple maison forte, a fortified manor. At the beginning of the 15th century Jean, lord of Loges, turned it into a true fortress with four towers and a drawbridge. His grandson Hugues then transformed it into a Renaissance residence, and the château has kept that appearance ever since. The Lenet, Brunet and du Tillet families owned it in turn over the following centuries.

At the Revolution the estate was run by Augustin Godard, the mayor of Chailly, who protected the château and bought it in 1796. It passed to the Chalon family in 1888. In the late 1980s the Japanese businessman Yasuhiko Sata acquired the château and had it restored and converted into a hotel, with a golf course laid out in the surrounding countryside. The whole château has been classified as a historic monument since 1930.

Architecture

Chailly shows two ages in one building. Its towers recall the 15th-century fortress of the lords of Loges, with its four towers and drawbridge. The Renaissance transformation of the 16th century gave the residence the appearance it still has today. Its plan is said to have been inspired by the ducal palace of Nevers. Around it, the golf course and open farmland stretch across the Armançon valley.