Château de la Comtesse

English translation

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History

When Faucigny was joined to Savoy by the treaty of 1355, the administrative centre of the castellany of Montjoie moved to Saint-Gervais (the former castle of the counts of Faucigny was indeed located at the site of the present church of Contamines-Montjoie). A castle or fortified house was built there which would be called the château de la Comtesse (probably in reference to Bonne de Berry, wife of the count of Savoy Amédée VII 1360-1391). In the 16th century, this residence was acquired, together with the associated feudal rights, by the Dufresney family, local notables who had acquired important positions in the castellany and also various noble lands. They then enlarged the fortified house by an extension on its east side. The house was bought in 1740 by the Octenier family, notaries. They remodelled the interiors. In the 19th century, they had stables built surmounted by a barn, attached to the house on the east side. The fortified house is still the property of the descendants of Octenier, now in co-ownership.

Description

The building is oriented west-east and is constructed in stone, and covered with sheet metal. It appears to be composed of two parts: the oldest part, dating from the 14th century, and oriented towards the west; and the extension presumably built in the 16th century, oriented towards the east. To this ensemble are added the stables with the barn. The oldest part originally contained four rooms (guards' hall, archives room, great hall of court and chamber for the lord). Three round towers and one square tower are attached to the building of the western part, some of which have loopholes. On one of them, built on the south façade, is found an entrance door which is surmounted by the coat of arms of the Dufresney family bearing the date 1578; the tower also bears a sundial. The east extension, which communicates moreover with the west part by means of interior communication doors, does not perfectly align with the west part. Note should be made of the mullioned windows on the upper storey of the building which also date from the 16th century. Inside, numerous fittings made in the 18th century are found: marble fireplaces with faux marble overmantels of fine workmanship, woodwork, painted canvas overdoors, French ceilings (whose dating is uncertain, possibly predating the arrival of the Octenier family). The ground-floor windows were opened in the 19th century, and many spaces were remodelled, then modernised in the 20th century.