Château de Molinot
The last tower of a vanished medieval castle, turned into a dovecote beside a pond.
- Medieval fortress
- 28 min from Beaune
- Private, seen from outside
- 14th century, altered in the 17th and 18th
€560for a full-day wine tour from Beaune, up to 4 guests
At a glance
- Commune
- Molinot · Côte-d'Or
- Style
- Remains of a medieval castle
- Heritage
- Listed historic monument
Getting there
Private driver from Beaune: 28 min by road (25 km), €100 one way for the whole car.
Coming by train or plane? Transfers from stations and airports →
About the château
Only fragments remain of the great castle of Molinot, in the hills west of Nolay. A 14th-century corner tower, later turned into a dovecote, still rises beside a pond at the edge of a wide platform. The tower is a classified historic monument, and the site is private.
History
Molinot had a fortified house by 1298. The castle was built in 1346 according to the historian Courtépée, and in 1348 Jean de Frolois, lord of Molinot, held it as a fief from the Duke of Burgundy. In the 16th century it belonged to the Aumont family. During the Wars of Religion, in 1591, its captain and some soldiers were seized in the courtyard and taken to Châteauneuf for ransom.
An inventory of 1656 describes a castle with a drawbridge, three large towers, a great house and a pond. In the first half of the 17th century an outbuilding wing was built and the top of one tower was rebuilt as a dovecote. The castle was dismantled in the 18th century. Its remains were listed in 1990, and the tower-dovecote was classified in 1994.
Architecture
The castle stood on a platform of about 65 by 70 metres, on gently sloping ground. To the north, a long outbuilding ends in a round tower at the north-west corner, the last survivor of the castle. Its upper part was rebuilt as a dovecote. To the south, a retaining wall with a small turret holds up the slope, and a pond laps the foot of the tower.
Visiting
Tips for your visit
The site is private and cannot be visited. You can see the tower and the pond from the edge of the village, on a drive through the Hautes-Côtes between Nolay and Ivry-en-Montagne. Combine it with a visit to the Château de Corabœuf, a few kilometres away.
Around here
What to combine with Château de Molinot on the same day, nearest first.
Saint-Romain
10 km awaySaint-Aubin
12 km awayMaranges
12 km away
- Nature and viewpoint
Mont de Sène (Hill of the Three Crosses) Mont de Sène (Montagne des Trois Croix)
12 km away
Questions
Château de Molinot is about 28 min from Beaune by road (25 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €100 for the whole car, up to 4 guests.
Did you know? Jean de Frolois, lord of Molinot in 1348, was also the Marshal of Burgundy who built the castle of Savigny-lès-Beaune around 1340 for Duke Eudes IV.
Sources
Château de Molinot with a private driver
Full-day wine tour from Beaune: €560 for the car, up to 4 guests