--- title: "Château de Besanceuil: History of a 1380s Fortified Manor" description: "Main house of about 1383 flanked by square towers, later softened with painted panelling, listed in 2008. Private, near Cormatin, by private driver." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-besanceuil lang: en updated: 2026-09-29 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/chateaux/chateau-de-besanceuil.png --- # Château de Besanceuil > Château de Besanceuil: a fortified manor of the 1380s near Cormatin, softened over the centuries with painted panelling. Château de Besanceuil is in Bonnay (Saône-et-Loire), 59 min by road (73 km) from Beaune. Private, seen from outside · 14th to 18th century · Private driver from Beaune: €210 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. Besanceuil stands on a slope at the western edge of Bonnay, a few kilometres west of Cormatin. Its main house of the 1380s is flanked by square towers, and later owners added a stone gateway, a new wing and painted rooms. The whole ensemble was listed as a historic monument in 2008. ## Key facts - Type: Manor - Location: 55 km south of Beaune · Saône-et-Loire - Coordinates: 46.5463, 4.6060 - 59 min from Beaune - Private, seen from outside - 14th to 18th century - Commune: Bonnay · Saône-et-Loire - Style: Fortified manor with 17th and 18th-century additions - Heritage: Registered historic monument - From Beaune: ≈ 59 min · 73 km - €210 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): 59 min by road (73 km), €210 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 In the 13th century the fief belonged to the Tenay family, who built a fortified house here. The present building was raised around 1383 to 1385, and of that ensemble survive the rectangular main house with three square towers and a turret of the first enclosure. A spiral stair tower was added in 1466. In 1586 the estate passed by marriage to Jean de Mincé. In 1645 Besanceuil passed to Jean-Baptiste de Prisque, whose descendants kept it until the Revolution. From 1647 the château was brought up to date: the walls linking the towers were lowered, and a rusticated stone gateway was built for the great courtyard. Around 1778 a new wing and all the outbuildings were built on the site of the old cemetery. ## Architecture The main house is a rectangle flanked by square towers, with a four-sided tower against the centre of the façade. Several rooms keep their old decoration. The ground-floor salon and dining room have moulded panelling framing 18th-century paintings on canvas, and a large first-floor room shows panelling with mythological scenes. One tower keeps 19th-century wallpapers, and a dovecote stands among the outbuildings. ## Visiting Besanceuil is a private home and is not open to visitors, so please respect the owners' privacy. It lies a few kilometres west of Cormatin, whose château and gardens are open from spring to autumn, and close to the small Romanesque churches of the Clunisois. ## Did you know? In the late 17th century a grand bedchamber was created on the first floor, and the old mullioned windows disappeared as the fortress became a country house. ## Around Château de Besanceuil What to combine with Château de Besanceuil on the same day, nearest first. ### Villages - [Montagny](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/montagny) (18 km away): A white-only appellation of hillside vineyards around Buxy, with a wealth of premiers crus. - [Viré-Clessé](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/vire-clesse) (21 km away): Two neighbouring villages of the Haut-Mâconnais, joined in one appellation for generous Chardonnay. - [Givry](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/givry) (28 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) (6 km away): The most lavish Louis XIII apartments in France, inside a moated château with a box maze garden. - [Château de Gros-Chigy](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-gros-chigy) (6 km away): A late medieval stronghold on the old frontier between ducal Burgundy and the royal Mâconnais. - [Château d’Uxelles](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-d-uxelles) (8 km away): The cradle of the Uxelles marquisate on a spur above Chapaize, rebuilt as a country house in 1835. ### Things to do - [Taizé Community (Communauté de Taizé)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/communaute-de-taize), 6 km away: An ecumenical community of brothers in a Burgundian village, where visitors may join the daily prayer. - [Saint-Martin Church, Chapaize (Église Saint-Martin de Chapaize)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/eglise-saint-martin-chapaize), 10 km away: An early Romanesque priory church whose tall Lombard bell tower rises over the countryside west of Tournus. - [Mont Saint-Romain](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/mont-saint-romain) (13 km away): A summit of almost 580 metres in the Mâconnais hills, with a rooftop viewing table facing the Alps. ## Questions about Château de Besanceuil ### How far is Château de Besanceuil from Beaune? Château de Besanceuil is about 59 min from Beaune by road (73 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €210 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### Can you visit Château de Besanceuil? Château de Besanceuil 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 de Besanceuil? 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:besanceuil): €210 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests ## Sources - --- Canonical page: