--- title: "Château d’Uxelles: History of the Uxelles Marquisate" description: "Seat of the Uxelles lordship from about 1070, made a marquisate in 1618, rebuilt as a country house in 1835 above Chapaize. Private, by private driver." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-d-uxelles lang: en updated: 2026-09-29 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/chateaux/chateau-d-uxelles.png --- # Château d’Uxelles > Château d’Uxelles: the cradle of the Uxelles marquisate on a spur above Chapaize, rebuilt as a country house in 1835. Château d’Uxelles is in Chapaize (Saône-et-Loire), 57 min by road (69 km) from Beaune. Private, seen from outside · 19th century (medieval origins) · Private driver from Beaune: €200 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. The château of Uxelles occupies the tip of a spur high above Chapaize. For centuries it was the seat of the Uxelles lordship, tied first to Brancion and later to Cormatin. The medieval fortress has vanished, replaced in 1835 by a country house built on its old courtyard of honour. ## Key facts - Type: Classical château - Location: 55 km south of Beaune · Saône-et-Loire - Coordinates: 46.5574, 4.7041 - 57 min from Beaune - Private, seen from outside - 19th century (medieval origins) - Commune: Chapaize · Saône-et-Loire - Style: 19th-century country house on a medieval site - From Beaune: ≈ 57 min · 69 km - €200 one way from Beaune with a [private driver](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver) ## Getting there - [Private driver from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver): 57 min by road (69 km), €200 one way for the whole car. Coming by train or plane? [Transfers from stations and airports](https://www.cote-privee.com/transfers) Estimates per vehicle for up to 4 guests, tolls included. Your price is confirmed when you book. ## History Uxelles was held in the 10th century by lords linked to Brancion, and around 1070 Bernard Gros de Brancion built a fortress here to assert his power against Cluny. In 1259 his ruined descendant sold the lordship to the duke of Burgundy, who in 1263 gave it to the jurist Jean de Blanot. Around 1490 Philibert Magnien repaired and embellished the living quarters. In 1560 Pétrarque du Blé, lord of Cormatin, acquired Uxelles by exchange and carved his motto and the date 1567 on a fireplace that still survives. His son Antoine left Uxelles to build the new château of Cormatin, and in 1618 the lordship was raised to a marquisate. The du Blé marquis d'Uxelles included Nicolas, a Marshal of France who died in 1730. In 1812 Charles-Hippolyte de La Chapelle, later a squadron commander in the royal guard, bought the estate and pulled down the ruined outer court and the keep. In 1835, advised by the Versailles architect du Thil, the family cleared the remaining medieval buildings and built a new house on the site of the old courtyard of honour. The La Chapelle family still owns Uxelles. ## Architecture The medieval castle had two concentric oval walls. The outer wall, 2.65 metres thick, had four gates and a chapel of Saint George, while the inner wall enclosed a seven-storey pentagonal tower, a round keep and the main lodging. All this has gone. Today a long rectangular house between two short wings, with a curved pediment over its central bay, crowns the spur. ## Visiting Uxelles is a private home and is not open to visitors, so please respect the owners' privacy. Below it, the village of Chapaize has the Romanesque church of Saint-Martin, a classified historic monument. Brancion and Cormatin are both a short drive away. ## Did you know? A fireplace bearing the motto of Pétrarque du Blé and the date 1567 survives at Uxelles, a link with the family that went on to build nearby Cormatin. ## Around Château d’Uxelles What to combine with Château d’Uxelles on the same day, nearest first. ### Villages - [Viré-Clessé](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/vire-clesse) (16 km away): Two neighbouring villages of the Haut-Mâconnais, joined in one appellation for generous Chardonnay. - [Montagny](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/montagny) (17 km away): A white-only appellation of hillside vineyards around Buxy, with a wealth of premiers crus. - [Givry](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/givry) (25 km away): A small wine town of 18th-century monuments, whose red wine is linked by legend to Henri IV. ### Châteaux - [Château de Cormatin](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-cormatin) (2 km away): The most lavish Louis XIII apartments in France, inside a moated château with a box maze garden. - [Château de Bresse-sur-Grosne](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-bresse-sur-grosne) (5 km away): A castle with Cistercian wine buildings and a model farm, held by the same family since 1799. - [Château de Sercy](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-sercy) (6 km away): A storybook castle beside a pond, crowned by one of the oldest surviving timber hoardings in France. ### Things to do - [Saint-Martin Church, Chapaize (Église Saint-Martin de Chapaize)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/eglise-saint-martin-chapaize), 3 km away: An early Romanesque priory church whose tall Lombard bell tower rises over the countryside west of Tournus. - [Taizé Community (Communauté de Taizé)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/communaute-de-taize), 5 km away: An ecumenical community of brothers in a Burgundian village, where visitors may join the daily prayer. - [Mont Saint-Romain](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/mont-saint-romain) (8 km away): A summit of almost 580 metres in the Mâconnais hills, with a rooftop viewing table facing the Alps. ## Questions about Château d’Uxelles ### How far is Château d’Uxelles from Beaune? Château d’Uxelles is about 57 min from Beaune by road (69 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €200 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### Can you visit Château d’Uxelles? Château d’Uxelles is private and not open to visitors. You can see it from the road or the village, and your driver can stop there on the way. ### Can a private driver take us to Château d’Uxelles? Yes. Your driver collects you in Beaune or at your hotel in an electric Polestar 2 (up to 4 guests), waits while you visit and plans the rest of the day with you. The driver speaks English, French, Mandarin Chinese and Arabic. → [Private driver from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver) ## Book - [Book a driver here](https://www.cote-privee.com/book?service=driver&place=chateau:uxelles): €200 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests ## Sources - --- Canonical page: