Château de Brion

En un regard

Le château en bref

The Château de Brion stands in ruins on a volcanic peak (the Rocher de Brion, 918 m above sea level) overlooking the confluence of the Eyrieux and the Dorne, in the commune of Jaunac in the Ardèche. Mentioned as early as the 11th century, it is said to have been built around the year 1000 by the powerful Chapteuil family, from the eastern Velay. A cadet branch of this family settled there permanently and took the name "de Brion". In 1224, the lords of Brion became vassals of the counts of Valentinois. The site gave rise to a fortified village that reached its height in the 12th and 13th centuries. The castle was gradually abandoned from the end of the 15th century, after the death of Pierre de Brion, while the seigneury then passed through the hands of several families (Damas, Lévis, Bayle de la Motte, Sassenage, Bourg de Bosas) until the Revolution. The village church was itself abandoned at the beginning of the 17th century, when the parish was transferred to Saint-Pierre-la-Pize. Only rather unspectacular remains survive today: a few sections of rampart and traces of a former keep, along with ruined houses built of columnar basalt. Archaeological excavations have uncovered pottery and metal objects bearing witness to the everyday medieval life of the site.