--- title: "Château de Montaigu: History of the Ruined Stronghold" description: "A 12th-century keep fragment nearly 15 metres high crowns the hill above Mercurey, dismantled under Henri IV. Private land, by private driver." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-montaigu lang: en updated: 2026-09-29 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/chateaux/chateau-de-montaigu.png --- # Château de Montaigu > Château de Montaigu: the ruined hilltop stronghold of the lords of Montaigu, above the vineyards of Mercurey. Château de Montaigu is in Mercurey (Saône-et-Loire), 32 min by road (31 km) from Beaune. Private, seen from outside · 12th century · Private driver from Beaune: €115 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. On a hilltop between Mercurey and Touches stand the ruins of Montaigu, once one of the great fortresses of medieval Burgundy. A tall fragment of the 12th-century keep and stretches of wall remain. The site is private, but its story is closely tied to the villages and vineyards of Mercurey. ## Key facts - Type: Medieval fortress - Location: 25 km south-west of Beaune · Côte Chalonnaise - Coordinates: 46.8245, 4.7125 - 32 min from Beaune - Private, seen from outside - 12th century - Commune: [Mercurey · Saône-et-Loire](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/mercurey) - Style: Medieval fortress (ruins) - From Beaune: ≈ 32 min · 31 km - €360 for a [half-day wine tour](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/half-day) plus one hour, from Beaune, up to 4 guests ## Getting there - [Private driver from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver): 32 min by road (31 km), €115 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 Around 950 Lambert, count of Chalon, built a first castle here to guard the Roman road running from Lyon through Chalon towards Autun and Paris. In 1180 the land came under Duke Hugh III of Burgundy, who made it a fief for his second son, Alexander. His descendants, the Bourgogne-Montaigu, were among the most powerful lords of their time, with some fifty vassals. The Montaigu line died out in 1348 and the lordship was divided. By 1387 Duke Philip the Bold had brought it all back into the ducal domain, and after 1477 it passed to the French crown. League troops took the castle in 1591, and Henri IV had the walls dismantled. From 1803 the ruins were used as a stone quarry for about twenty years. ## Architecture The castle had an oval plan with two rings of walls. The outer wall, about 700 metres long, was thick and crenellated, with ten to twelve towers linked by a wall-walk. The inner wall protected the great hall, two lodgings, a small courtyard with a well, and the keep. The square keep measured almost ten metres a side, and one face still stands nearly fifteen metres high. ## Visiting The ruins stand on private land and can only be visited with the owner's permission. There is no regular public opening. Montaigu fits well into a day around Mercurey, which has many tasting rooms, and the nearby church of Touches is also a listed historic monument. ## Did you know? After the castle fell into ruin, hermits lived among its walls in the 19th century. One of them was murdered, and the last one fled in 1870 when villagers destroyed his cell. ## Around Château de Montaigu What to combine with Château de Montaigu on the same day, nearest first. ### Villages - [Mercurey](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/mercurey) (1 km away): The largest vineyard of the Côte Chalonnaise, known above all for its reds. - [Givry](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/givry) (5 km away): A small wine town of 18th-century monuments, whose red wine is linked by legend to Henri IV. - [Rully](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/rully) (6 km away): Crisp whites, supple reds and a cradle of Burgundy's sparkling wine, below a medieval château. ### Châteaux - [Château de Chamirey](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-chamirey) (2 km away): An elegant 18th-century wine château in Mercurey, at the heart of a 37-hectare family estate. - [Château de Germolles](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-germolles) (4 km away): The best-preserved residence of the Valois dukes of Burgundy, a country palace made for a duchess. - [Château de Rully](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-rully) (5 km away): A medieval fortress above its own vineyard, still lived in by descendants of its first lords. ### Things to do - [Antonin Rodet](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/antonin-rodet-mercurey) (1 km away): A Mercurey wine house founded in 1875, with a tasting cellar in the stables of a 17th-century mansion. - [Southern Burgundy Greenway (Voie Verte de Bourgogne du Sud)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/voie-verte-givry-cluny), 6 km away: A car-free cycle path on an old railway line, running from the Givry vineyards to Cluny. - [Maison André Delorme](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/maison-andre-delorme-rully) (6 km away): A Rully house founded in 1942 that helped create Crémant de Bourgogne, with vaulted cellars cut into the rock. ### Restaurants - [Maison Lameloise](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/maison-lameloise-chagny) (10 km away · 3 MICHELIN stars): Burgundy's only three-star table, in a former coaching inn twenty minutes south of Beaune. - [Cédric Burtin](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/cedric-burtin-saint-remy) (11 km away · 2 MICHELIN stars): Two stars in a converted mill on the southern edge of Chalon-sur-Saône. - [Ed.Em](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/ed-em-chassagne-montrachet) (13 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A starred couple's table in the heart of Montrachet country, with 600 wines to match ## Questions about Château de Montaigu ### How far is Château de Montaigu from Beaune? Château de Montaigu is about 32 min from Beaune by road (31 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €115 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### Can you visit Château de Montaigu? Château de Montaigu 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 Montaigu? 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. → [Half-day wine tour plus one hour, €360](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/half-day) ## Book - [Book a driver here](https://www.cote-privee.com/book?service=wine-tour&option=half&place=chateau:montaigu): Half-day wine tour plus one hour from Beaune: €360 for the car, up to 4 guests ## Sources - - --- Canonical page: