Château de la Majorie

En un regard

Le château en bref

Overlooking the old town of Sion, the Château de la Majorie forms, together with the Vidomnat, an episcopal ensemble of two neighbouring medieval buildings. The Vidomnat is mentioned as early as 1179; the Majorie tower, attested in 1221 through the mention of its chapel of Saint Michael, then called the "tour de Sion", became the residence of the bishops of Sion and the seat of power of the prince-bishops of Valais, who preferred it to the more austere Château de Tourbillon. Devastated by a fire in 1529, the château was rebuilt in 1536 under Bishop Adrian I of Riedmatten. In the seventeenth century, the bishop shared power there with the Valais Diet, which met within its walls. A further fire destroyed the diocesan archives in 1788. When the bishop had a palace built near the cathedral in 1839–1840, the Majorie was sold to the Canton of Valais, which installed barracks there. Since 1947 it has housed the cantonal fine arts museum, now the Musée d'art du Valais, which also occupies the Vidomnat; the former stables, the Grange-à-l'Évêque, have housed the Musée de la nature since 2013. Classified as a cultural property of national significance, the site offers views over the old town, the vineyards and the mountains.