Château de Ménessaire

History

A maison forte, a fortified manor, probably stood here in the 13th century. A castle was built on the site at the end of the 14th and the beginning of the 15th century. The house suffered pillage and fires over the years, and after a fire in the second half of the 16th century it had to be rebuilt. The Fussey family, owners from 1578 to 1772, carried out restorations during their long tenure.

The château was rebuilt in the 17th century in two campaigns, before 1647 and in the second half of the century. In 1991, during restoration inside, workers found a painted ceiling of the mid-17th century hidden behind later 18th-century decoration. The façades, roofs and grand hall were listed in 1973, and the painted ceiling in 1999. Its present restoration began in 1972.

Architecture

The château combines towers and main buildings under roofs covered with glazed tiles in the Burgundian manner, fully restored. The Grand Hall keeps its beamed ceiling, an unusual tiled floor, painted medallion portraits, coats of arms, painted friezes and hunting trophies. Upstairs, the rediscovered 17th-century ceiling shows bouquets, vases, painted panelling, allegories and small figures on the joists.