Montessus Keep

En un regard

Le château en bref

Set on the southern end of a plateau overlooking the north bank of the Arconce, between Changy and Charolles, Montessus Keep is a medieval castral complex typical of the Charolais. Its core is a five-storey quadrangular tower, topped with a pavilion roof and flanked by four round corner turrets (échauguettes); its nearly blind north façade bears two corbelled latrines. To the east, an elongated residential wing adjoins it, containing a great hall with a monumental fireplace and a staircase dated 1657. Curtain walls link the tower to service buildings. About fifty metres to the south, a small round tower houses a chapel at its base and a dovecote on its first floor. The complex also includes a game preserve (garenne), attested as early as the 16th century. Listed as a monument historique in 2006, the site is privately owned.