Located at the threshold of the Auxois region the imposing fortress of Châteauneuf overlooks a broad open landscape too far away in the distance. It is built on the rocky spur encircled by the valleys of the rivers Creuse, Vandenesse and the brook of Commarin.
The castle was built in 1132 by Jean de Chaudenay for his second son Jehan. The site adopted to build this castle corresponded to the conditions required by an imperative need for security in those times. The family reigned over the fief for nine generations, ending in tragedy in 1456, when Cathrine of Châteauneuf was burnt to death, after poisoning her second husband, Jacques d’Haussonville.
The castle was then given by Philippe le Bon (Duke of Burgundy) to his godson Philippe Pot. Philippe Pot had no children and died in 1493, so the estate was given to his brother Guy Pot and through marriages Marie Liesse de Luxembourg. As she became a Carmelite nun, the castle and lands were purchased by Charles de Vienne, (Count of Commarin). For almost 150 years the court remained in the family until Louis Henri de Vienne sold to a wealthy banker “Paris de Montmartel” in 1767 and finally ended up in the hands of the Damas family. It became the property of the Vogüé family through marriage, and they donated it to the state in 1936.
The entrance to the castle used to be through two fortified gates with a drawbridge. With its thick walls and no opening, separated from the mountain by a wide moat cut in the rock, the castle is almost impossible to access. It is one of the most exciting specimens of medieval military architecture in Côte-d’Or. The five-round towers and the outer walls were erected from the 12th to the 15th century.
The keep which stands on the rock is the only remains from the 12th century.
Blazing gothic is the specific architectural feature of the buildings dating back to Philippe Pot. One of the two lodgings is in ruins while the other still has unaltered windows. It has a staircase tower with a finely carved arch over the door. The graceful dormer windows ornamenting the high, Burgundy tile roof with their open work.
The guard room, “La grande salle” used to have a glazed tile floor. It has a 15th-century fireplace carved with small columns and mouldings with sharp edges.
A dining room was built in one of the towers in the 18th century. On the walls, you can see the portraits of the Dukes of Burgundy (Valois) and a collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece.
Philippe Pot had a chapel built in 1481. He decorated it with the colours of his coat of arms; red and black. The ceiling of this chapel is a wooden vault supported in the centre by posts which lay on crossbeams linking the walls, and light reaches the chapel through a large window in an excellent ogival style.
On the left, there is a succession of rooms decorated in the 18th century. On the right, three rooms separated by half-timbered walls were created in the 15th century. A series of 17th-century tapestries, depicting events from the Life of Moses, adorn the walls of the apartment.
Charles de Vienne, who became the owner of the castle in 1627, had a room built in the keep. There is a portrait of him and his wife Marguerite Fauché de Domprel in the room.
The south tower was the primary defensive place in the castle. It contains pieces of artillery dating from the 14th century. The guest house has a beautiful façade built in the typical gothic style from the late 15th century.
Located at the threshold of the Auxois region the imposing fortress of Châteauneuf overlooks a broad open landscape too far away in the distance. It is built on the rocky spur encircled by the valleys of the rivers Creuse, Vandenesse and the brook of Commarin.
The castle was built in 1132 by Jean de Chaudenay for his second son Jehan. The site adopted to build this castle corresponded to the conditions required by an imperative need for security in those times. The family reigned over the fief for nine generations, ending in tragedy in 1456, when Cathrine of Châteauneuf was burnt to death, after poisoning her second husband, Jacques d’Haussonville.
The castle was then given by Philippe le Bon (Duke of Burgundy) to his godson Philippe Pot. Philippe Pot had no children and died in 1493, so the estate was given to his brother Guy Pot and through marriages Marie Liesse de Luxembourg. As she became a Carmelite nun, the castle and lands were purchased by Charles de Vienne, (Count of Commarin). For almost 150 years the court remained in the family until Louis Henri de Vienne sold to a wealthy banker “Paris de Montmartel” in 1767 and finally ended up in the hands of the Damas family. It became the property of the Vogüé family through marriage, and they donated it to the state in 1936.
The entrance to the castle used to be through two fortified gates with a drawbridge. With its thick walls and no opening, separated from the mountain by a wide moat cut in the rock, the castle is almost impossible to access. It is one of the most exciting specimens of medieval military architecture in Côte-d’Or. The five-round towers and the outer walls were erected from the 12th to the 15th century.
The keep which stands on the rock is the only remains from the 12th century.
Blazing gothic is the specific architectural feature of the buildings dating back to Philippe Pot. One of the two lodgings is in ruins while the other still has unaltered windows. It has a staircase tower with a finely carved arch over the door. The graceful dormer windows ornamenting the high, Burgundy tile roof with their open work.
The guard room, “La grande salle” used to have a glazed tile floor. It has a 15th-century fireplace carved with small columns and mouldings with sharp edges.
A dining room was built in one of the towers in the 18th century. On the walls, you can see the portraits of the Dukes of Burgundy (Valois) and a collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece.
Philippe Pot had a chapel built in 1481. He decorated it with the colours of his coat of arms; red and black. The ceiling of this chapel is a wooden vault supported in the centre by posts which lay on crossbeams linking the walls, and light reaches the chapel through a large window in an excellent ogival style.
On the left, there is a succession of rooms decorated in the 18th century. On the right, three rooms separated by half-timbered walls were created in the 15th century. A series of 17th-century tapestries, depicting events from the Life of Moses, adorn the walls of the apartment.
Charles de Vienne, who became the owner of the castle in 1627, had a room built in the keep. There is a portrait of him and his wife Marguerite Fauché de Domprel in the room.
The south tower was the primary defensive place in the castle. It contains pieces of artillery dating from the 14th century. The guest house has a beautiful façade built in the typical gothic style from the late 15th century.
Located at the threshold of the Auxois region the imposing fortress of Châteauneuf overlooks a broad open landscape too far away in the distance. It is built on the rocky spur encircled by the valleys of the rivers Creuse, Vandenesse and the brook of Commarin.
The castle was built in 1132 by Jean de Chaudenay for his second son Jehan. The site adopted to build this castle corresponded to the conditions required by an imperative need for security in those times. The family reigned over the fief for nine generations, ending in tragedy in 1456, when Cathrine of Châteauneuf was burnt to death, after poisoning her second husband, Jacques d’Haussonville.
The castle was then given by Philippe le Bon (Duke of Burgundy) to his godson Philippe Pot. Philippe Pot had no children and died in 1493, so the estate was given to his brother Guy Pot and through marriages Marie Liesse de Luxembourg. As she became a Carmelite nun, the castle and lands were purchased by Charles de Vienne, (Count of Commarin). For almost 150 years the court remained in the family until Louis Henri de Vienne sold to a wealthy banker “Paris de Montmartel” in 1767 and finally ended up in the hands of the Damas family. It became the property of the Vogüé family through marriage, and they donated it to the state in 1936.
The entrance to the castle used to be through two fortified gates with a drawbridge. With its thick walls and no opening, separated from the mountain by a wide moat cut in the rock, the castle is almost impossible to access. It is one of the most exciting specimens of medieval military architecture in Côte-d’Or. The five-round towers and the outer walls were erected from the 12th to the 15th century.
The keep which stands on the rock is the only remains from the 12th century.
Blazing gothic is the specific architectural feature of the buildings dating back to Philippe Pot. One of the two lodgings is in ruins while the other still has unaltered windows. It has a staircase tower with a finely carved arch over the door. The graceful dormer windows ornamenting the high, Burgundy tile roof with their open work.
The guard room, “La grande salle” used to have a glazed tile floor. It has a 15th-century fireplace carved with small columns and mouldings with sharp edges.
A dining room was built in one of the towers in the 18th century. On the walls, you can see the portraits of the Dukes of Burgundy (Valois) and a collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece.
Philippe Pot had a chapel built in 1481. He decorated it with the colours of his coat of arms; red and black. The ceiling of this chapel is a wooden vault supported in the centre by posts which lay on crossbeams linking the walls, and light reaches the chapel through a large window in an excellent ogival style.
On the left, there is a succession of rooms decorated in the 18th century. On the right, three rooms separated by half-timbered walls were created in the 15th century. A series of 17th-century tapestries, depicting events from the Life of Moses, adorn the walls of the apartment.
Charles de Vienne, who became the owner of the castle in 1627, had a room built in the keep. There is a portrait of him and his wife Marguerite Fauché de Domprel in the room.
The south tower was the primary defensive place in the castle. It contains pieces of artillery dating from the 14th century. The guest house has a beautiful façade built in the typical gothic style from the late 15th century.
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