--- title: "Château de Boutavent: History of Cluny’s Spur Castle" description: "Built by the lords of Brancion, given to Cluny abbey in 1237, a country retreat from 1867, with a massive round tower. Private, seen by private driver." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-boutavent lang: en updated: 2026-09-29 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/chateaux/chateau-de-boutavent.png --- # Château de Boutavent > Château de Boutavent: a spur-top castle that guarded the Grosne valley for the lords of Brancion, then for Cluny. Château de Boutavent is in Cortambert (Saône-et-Loire), 1 h 03 by road (80 km) from Beaune. Private, seen from outside · 13th and 14th century · Private driver from Beaune: €225 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. Boutavent stands at the tip of a rocky spur above the Grosne valley, north of Cluny. Built by the lords of Brancion, it passed to the abbey of Cluny in 1237 and later became a peaceful farming estate. A massive round tower and a chapel tower still mark its outline. ## Key facts - Type: Medieval fortress - Location: 60 km south of Beaune · Mâconnais - Coordinates: 46.4725, 4.7143 - 1 h 03 from Beaune - Private, seen from outside - 13th and 14th century - Commune: Cortambert · Saône-et-Loire - Style: Medieval castle turned country house - Heritage: Registered historic monument - From Beaune: ≈ 1 h 03 · 80 km - €225 one way from Beaune with a [private driver](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver) - Or add it to our [full-day wine tour plus two hours, €700](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/full-day). ## Getting there - [Private driver from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver): 1 h 03 by road (80 km), €225 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 Boutavent was probably built in the first half of the 12th century by the Gros family, lords of Brancion and Uxelles, on the edge of their lands, where it controlled the northern approach to the Grosne valley. In 1237 a lord of Brancion ceded the fortress and its castellany to the abbey of Cluny, and at the end of the 13th century an abbot added new buildings. Between the 14th and the 16th centuries the castle was taken several times, notably by the troops of Louis XI in 1470, before being disarmed for good and turned into a farming estate. Its grounds were reshaped in the 18th century. It escaped the looting of July 1789 and was sold as national property in 1790. In 1867 the Comte d'Audiffred bought it and made it a country retreat. ## Architecture The château forms a large quadrilateral running north to south, anchored on the south-east by a massive round tower. A porch opens the courtyard to the north, beside a square tower whose first floor holds a neo-Gothic chapel. A long range of stables and barns, reworked in the 18th century, closes the east side, while the main lodging looks south and west over terraces and a 19th-century park. ## Visiting Boutavent is a private home and is not open to visitors, so please respect the owners' privacy. It lies in the Grosne valley north of Cluny, so it fits easily into a day combining Cluny abbey, the Château de Cormatin and the small Romanesque churches of the area. ## Did you know? The name first appears as Boutavent in the deed of 1237 by which the lord of Brancion handed the castle to Cluny, and the Cassini maps later used the same spelling. ## Around Château de Boutavent What to combine with Château de Boutavent on the same day, nearest first. ### Villages - [Viré-Clessé](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/vire-clesse) (10 km away): Two neighbouring villages of the Haut-Mâconnais, joined in one appellation for generous Chardonnay. - [Pouilly-Fuissé](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/pouilly-fuisse) (21 km away): Burgundy's great southern white, grown beneath the limestone cliffs of Solutré and Vergisson. - [Saint-Véran](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/saint-veran) (24 km away): Fresh Chardonnay from villages that wrap around Pouilly-Fuissé, beneath the Roche de Solutré. ### Châteaux - [Château de Lourdon](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-lourdon) (5 km away): The ruined hilltop fortress of the abbots of Cluny, where the monks once hid their treasures. - [Château de Cruzille](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-cruzille) (7 km away): A fortress on a spur above Cruzille, marked by the Wars of Religion and the Liberation of 1944. - [Château de Cormatin](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-cormatin) (8 km away): The most lavish Louis XIII apartments in France, inside a moated château with a box maze garden. ### Things to do - [Mont Saint-Romain](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/mont-saint-romain) (4 km away): A summit of almost 580 metres in the Mâconnais hills, with a rooftop viewing table facing the Alps. - [Azé Caves (Grottes d’Azé)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/grottes-d-aze), 5 km away: Two caves in the Mâconnais hills: an underground river and a prehistoric cave of bears and lions. - [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. ### Restaurants - [La Marande](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/la-marande-montbellet) (12 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A family-run country house in the northern Mâconnais, starred since 2014. ## Questions about Château de Boutavent ### How far is Château de Boutavent from Beaune? Château de Boutavent is about 1 h 03 from Beaune by road (80 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €225 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### Can you visit Château de Boutavent? Château de Boutavent 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 Boutavent? 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. → [Full-day wine tour plus two hours, €700](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/full-day) ## Book - [Book a driver here](https://www.cote-privee.com/book?service=driver&place=chateau:boutavent): €225 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests ## Sources - --- Canonical page: