--- title: "Château de Sennecey-le-Grand: History and Town Hall" description: "Corner pavilions, bridges and moats remain of the Bauffremont château of 1580 to 1592, its outbuildings now the town hall. Free to see, by private driver." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-sennecey-le-grand lang: en updated: 2026-09-29 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/chateaux/chateau-de-sennecey-le-grand.png --- # Château de Sennecey-le-Grand > Château de Sennecey-le-Grand: the remains of the proud Bauffremont château, where Sennecey-le-Grand now has its town hall. Château de Sennecey-le-Grand is in Sennecey-le-Grand (Saône-et-Loire), 49 min by road (56 km) from Beaune. Park or grounds to visit · 16th century · Private driver from Beaune: €170 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. In the centre of Sennecey-le-Grand, four corner pavilions, stone bridges and stretches of moat recall one of the grandest châteaux of southern Burgundy. The Bauffremont barons rebuilt it lavishly in the late 16th century. The commune bought it in 1824 and demolished the main house, and its outbuildings now shelter the town hall. ## Key facts - Type: Renaissance château - Location: 45 km south of Beaune · Saône-et-Loire - Coordinates: 46.6375, 4.8692 - 49 min from Beaune - Park or grounds to visit - 16th century - Commune: Sennecey-le-Grand · Saône-et-Loire - Style: Renaissance bastioned enclosure (remains) - Heritage: Registered historic monument - From Beaune: ≈ 49 min · 56 km - €170 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): 49 min by road (56 km), €170 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 A first castle, rectangular and ringed with round towers and a deep moat, succeeded a fortified house of the 10th or 11th century. It was badly damaged during the war between Armagnacs and Burgundians. Jean II de Toulongeon began to rebuild it with the duke's help, and after his death in 1427 his son completed the works, which were finished in 1470. From 1580 Nicolas de Bauffremont-Sennecey launched a complete transformation, continued by his son Claude and finished in 1592. A vast new enclosure of 119 by 107 metres, with bastions, crenellated walls and a water-filled moat, surrounded the house. A pavilion crowned with statues of Jupiter, Venus and Juno guarded the entrance, and the great hall displayed twelve paintings of Roman emperors. The estate later passed through several great families, including the Foix-Candale, the Vieuxpont and the Ailly, before coming to the Noailles by marriage in 1803. In 1824 they sold it to the commune, which demolished the château to build a parish church. Only the four corner pavilions, the base of the walls, part of the moat, two stone bridges and the outbuildings survive. ## Architecture What remains is mostly the late 16th-century bastioned enclosure. The two northern pavilions stand on bastions, one still carrying a cartouche with the Bauffremont arms, and show rusticated quoins and window frames. In the east wing, now the town hall, a round-arched doorway between fluted pilasters carries a frieze of ox skulls and rosettes and the date 1592. A similar doorway opens into the west wing. ## Visiting The remains stand in the heart of the town and belong to the commune. You can walk past the pavilions, bridges and moats and admire the carved Renaissance doorways of the town hall. The esplanade is itself a protected site. The castle of Ruffey and the abbey of La Ferté are close by for a short circuit. ## Did you know? Before its demolition, the château park was so carefully kept that a gardener came from Versailles every year to trim its box and yew hedges. ## Around Château de Sennecey-le-Grand What to combine with Château de Sennecey-le-Grand on the same day, nearest first. ### Villages - [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) (19 km away): A small wine town of 18th-century monuments, whose red wine is linked by legend to Henri IV. - [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. ### Châteaux - [Château de Ruffey](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-ruffey) (2 km away): A castle with rock-cut ditches and round towers in a quiet hamlet of Sennecey-le-Grand. - [Abbaye de La Ferté](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/abbaye-de-la-ferte) (5 km away): The palace of the first daughter-house of Cîteaux, with 18th-century rooms, scientific collections and a landscaped park. - [Château de La Chapelle-de-Bragny](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-la-chapelle-de-bragny) (8 km away): A fortified enclosure in the Glandon valley, with a Romanesque chapel and a wooden Virgin in Majesty. ### Things to do - [Les Vignerons de Mancey](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/vignerons-de-mancey-tournus) (8 km away): A growers' cooperative near Tournus, with a free trail on Burgundy wine and tastings of Mâcon-Mancey. - [Saint-Philibert Abbey, Tournus (Abbaye Saint-Philibert de Tournus)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/abbaye-saint-philibert-tournus), 9 km away: One of the great Romanesque churches of France, with unusual crosswise vaults and a complete monastic setting. - [Hôtel-Dieu de Tournus](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/hotel-dieu-de-tournus) (9 km away): A 17th-century hospital with its wards, oak box beds and one of the oldest apothecaries in France. ### Restaurants - [L’Écrin de Yohann Chapuis](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/l-ecrin-de-yohann-chapuis-tournus) (9 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): An intimate starred dining room in Tournus, from the chef who helped Lameloise win back its third star. - [Aux Terrasses](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/aux-terrasses-tournus) (9 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A starred family house in Tournus, now in its second generation. - [Cédric Burtin](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/cedric-burtin-saint-remy) (14 km away · 2 MICHELIN stars): Two stars in a converted mill on the southern edge of Chalon-sur-Saône. ## Questions about Château de Sennecey-le-Grand ### How far is Château de Sennecey-le-Grand from Beaune? Château de Sennecey-le-Grand is about 49 min from Beaune by road (56 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €170 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### Can you visit Château de Sennecey-le-Grand? Its park or grounds can be visited, while the interior is not usually open. Check its official website before you go. ### Can a private driver take us to Château de Sennecey-le-Grand? 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:sennecey): €170 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests ## Sources - --- Canonical page: