Château de Cissey
An elegant 18th-century brick and stone house on the plain south of Beaune, beside a medieval chapel.
- Manor
- 14 min from Beaune
- Private, seen from outside
- 18th century, with an older chapel
€290for a half-day wine tour from Beaune, up to 4 guests
At a glance
- Commune
- Merceuil · Côte-d'Or
- Style
- 18th-century brick and stone house
Getting there
Private driver from Beaune: 14 min by road (9 km), €65 one way for the whole car.
Coming by train or plane? Transfers from stations and airports →
About the château
The Château de Cissey stands at the eastern edge of the hamlet of Cissey, in the commune of Merceuil, on the flat land south of Beaune. The present house was rebuilt in the 18th century in brick and stone. A chapel in the grounds survives from the older castle, and the whole estate is a private home.
History
Cissey had a fortified house in the Middle Ages. In 1272 the maison forte of Sixé, as it was then spelled, was held by Robert II Perreaux. It later passed to Raoul de Cissey and to Guillaume de Montfaucon, and for a time the hamlet had a second fortified house, now vanished. In 1451 Jean de Villanfans sold the land of Cissey to his brother-in-law, Antoine de Villers.
In 1485 Antoine Rolin, son of Chancellor Nicolas Rolin, gave the lordships he had bought at Cissey in 1474 to the chapter of the collegiate church of Notre-Dame in Beaune. The castle was demolished in 1509 and partly rebuilt in 1515, and in 1602 the chapter entrusted it to Luc Boscheron. The present house was rebuilt in the 18th century.
Architecture
The house stands on the south side of a courtyard, with a farm to the east and the chapel to the north-west. It is rectangular, with two floors above the ground floor under a hipped slate roof, and built in brick and stone. The central bay of the north front projects slightly, crowned by a curved pediment carved with a coat of arms under a coronet. Carved busts and small balconies enliven the façade.
Visiting
Tips for your visit
The château is a private home and cannot be visited. You can see it from the rue du Château, the road through the hamlet of Cissey. It is a short drive from Beaune or Meursault across the vineyard plain, and pairs with the nearby châteaux of Morteuil and Corcelles-les-Arts.
Around here
What to combine with Château de Cissey on the same day, nearest first.
Questions
Château de Cissey is about 14 min from Beaune by road (9 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €65 for the whole car, up to 4 guests.
Did you know? The chapel in the grounds is the only part of the medieval castle to survive its demolition in 1509, three centuries before the present house was built.
Sources
Château de Cissey with a private driver
Half-day wine tour from Beaune: €290 for the car, up to 4 guests