Château de Salmaise

En un regard

Le château en bref

The Château de Salmaise, in the Côte-d'Or, originated in a gift of land made in 1003 by Duke Hugh to Notre-Dame and Saint-Bénigne. The seigneury changed hands several times during the Middle Ages: Mathieu Bedey (1335), Jean de Frôlois (1348), Oudot de Sauvigny (1359), Marguerite de Frôlois (1371), Guillaume Dubois (1444) and then his son Antoine (1474). In 1478, Louis XI granted it to Philippe de Hochberg, Marshal of Burgundy; Henry III later assigned it to Françoise d'Orléans. Major works were carried out in 1373 (renovation of a tower), in 1408–1409 (works on a bridge) and in 1415–1417 (raising and repair of the machicolations). After 1690, the site was gradually abandoned by its successive owners; in 1727 it was described as 'ruined for more than 100 years', and by 1791 only sections of wall remained. The main building occupies the south side, with a rectangular tower, a central block with a four-sided roof and a barn. A Romanesque chapel, which had been dismantled, was rebuilt between 1987 and 1993. The chapel was listed as a Monument historique on 25 September 1928, and the rest of the structures on 26 November 1928.