Château de Vandenesse

English translation

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History

There originally existed a house strong, attested in 1368, property of the Bocars family. It was acquired at the end of the 15th century by the powerful Chabannes family, one of whose famous representatives was Jacques de Chabannes, marshal of la Palisse, killed at Pavia in 1525 (cf. château de la Palisse, Allier, classified historic monument). The house strong of Vandenesse was transformed by them into a powerful castle with circular plan, defended by 6 towers. In the 16th century, Vandenesse passes by marriage to Jean Olivier, son of a chancellor of France then, in 1604, to Du Bois de Fienne. In 1663, Louis XIV erected the land into a marquisate. The furniture of the castle is seized at the time of the sale of national property by the district of Moulins la République, on 27 Germinal year III. In year IV, half of the castle, on the North-West side, was destroyed by the owner, Bourbon-Graviere, national purchaser. Thanks to the preservation of two powerful square towers and two round towers, united by dwelling blocks, the castle still retains an imposing aspect. Charles Elie de Talleyrand Périgord, prince de Chalais, is owner of the estate in the 19th century. He has the church of the village, Saint-Saturnin, rebuilt in neo-Romanesque style. In 1883, the castle is in the hands of the count de Mérode and passes in 1909 to his cousin, the count de la Roche Aymon. It should be noted that in this family one finds Charles Antoine de La Roche Aymon, archbishop of Reims, peer and grand almoner of France who baptised, married and crowned as king of France, Louis XVI. His portrait, painted by the Swede Alexandre Roslin (1718-1793) is at the castle. The powerful round castle which presented the aspect of a circular enclosure became a hemicycle extended by outbuildings of large dimensions. The courtyard of the castle is today open (since the destructions of the Revolution) and the outbuildings courtyard is almost closed. The house strong mentioned in 1386 comprised essentially a massive square keep and a dwelling block. In the 15th century 7 towers on an oval plan were built, linked to each other and to the keep by curtains surmounted by a wall walk. The whole was surrounded by moats crossed by a drawbridge which gave access to the keep. The square keep still crowned with machicolations is the only vestige of the buildings of the 14th century. The castle was seriously damaged at the end of the 15th century and during the Wars of Religion. Combats between Catholic and Protestant troops raged in the Nivernais. In 1570, the troops of admiral de Coligny penetrated into the South of the Morvan, burned the church of Vandenesse and did not spare the castle. At the end of the 17th century, the curtains were demolished. They were replaced by dwelling blocks pierced with tall windows. They followed the plan of the old oval enclosure by taking in their alignment the base of the towers and the keep. At the same period were also built outside the enclosure vast outbuildings built around a large square courtyard. Access to this courtyard is by an imposing fortified porch. The development of the outbuildings terminates in a large building with hipped roof still presenting a fine gabled facade. The entire North-West part of the castle has thus disappeared as well as the traces of the moats and the drawbridge. Only the square keep embedded in the buildings, two round towers and a square tower as well as the dwelling blocks connecting them survive. Inside, the castle suffered greatly from the Revolution and also from German occupation. Only two monumental fireplaces survive, that of the 15th century coming from the manor of Arcilly and that of the 16th century, coming from the castle (classified historic monument) of Anizy.