Château de Commarin
Castle
Château de Commarin, located in Commarin, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- Castle
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- Commarin, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
Resting on its mirrored moat, Château de Commarin in the Côte-d'Or boasts an elegant medieval silhouette that was remodelled in the 17th and 18th centuries, and has been the home of the same noble family for over six hundred years.
History
In the heart of the Châtillonnais region of Burgundy, Château de Commarin stands in the middle of a vast wooded estate whose moats, still filled with water, faithfully reflect the glazed tile roofs and slate-covered corner towers. Owned by the de Vienne family, then the Montmorency-Vivonne family and finally the Vogüé family, it embodies the continuity of France's aristocratic heritage better than any other: the same lineage has lived here since the 15th century, giving it a rare soul, far removed from the museum-like austerity of nationalised monuments. What makes Commarin so special is precisely this superimposition of architectural periods, visible at first glance: an original medieval main building, altered and embellished during the Renaissance, then redesigned in a classical style under Louis XIV and Louis XV, without ever losing the feudal character of its circular towers and moat. The result is a coherent, almost cinematic picture that heritage photographers regularly rank among the most beautiful châteaux in Burgundy. Inside, the salons are furnished with remarkably authentic period furniture - Flanders tapestries, 17th-century family portraits, Louis XV wood panelling - bearing witness to a noble lifestyle that has been preserved rather than reconstituted. The collections assembled over generations offer a veritable cabinet of curiosities on the history of France as seen through the eyes of a large provincial family. The English-style park surrounding the château, planted with hundred-year-old cedars and pruned lime trees, invites you to take a soothing stroll before or after visiting the flats. The moat, home to ducks and carp, creates a romantic atmosphere that is particularly striking at autumn twilight, when the morning mists dress up the reflection of the château in the still water. A visit to Commarin is an intimate experience of an inhabited castle, far from the crowds, in a village in the Côte-d'Or where time seems to have spared every stone.
Architecture
Château de Commarin is built around a rectangular main building flanked by four circular towers at the corners, a defensive layout inherited from the Middle Ages but lightened during the Renaissance by the opening of wide mullioned windows and the addition of ornate dormer windows over the slate roofs. The masonry moat, which is still filled with water throughout, is crossed by a drawbridge that was transformed into a fixed bridge with stone arches during the 17th-century classical renovations. The ochre and brown Burgundy glazed tile roofs, typical of the Côte-d'Or region, give the building the warm palette that distinguishes regional architecture from its Loire counterparts. The main elevation is classically regular, with bays punctuated by flat pilasters, a moulded cornice and round oculi in the attic. The slightly golden-white Burgundy limestone reacts magnificently to the low-angled morning and evening light. The towers, preserved in their medieval form, are a welcome break from the monotony of the façade, while their conical slate roofs ensure the coherence of the whole. Inside, the succession of flats on the first floor is the main attraction of the visit: the reception rooms still have their original wood panelling, beamed ceilings or gilded coffered ceilings, and a collection of exceptionally well-preserved Flemish tapestries from the 16th and 17th centuries. The great hall on the ground floor still bears witness to the medieval layout of the rooms, with its monumental ashlar fireplace and restored lancet windows.
Related Figures
Famille de Vienne — seigneurs fondateurs du domaine au XIVe siècleJean de Dinteville — diplomate de François Ier, propriétaire au XVIe siècle, sujet présumé du tableau Les Ambassadeurs de HolbeinFamille de Montmorency-Vivonne — reconstructeurs du château au XVIIe siècleFamille de Vogüé — propriétaires depuis le XVIIIe siècle, gardiens du patrimoine jusqu'à nos joursMelchior de Vogüé — académicien et orientaliste du XIXe siècle, issu de la lignée des propriétaires
Map
Coordinates not available for this monument.
Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Château de Commarin located?
Château de Commarin is located in Commarin, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, France.
When was Château de Commarin built?
Château de Commarin dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Château de Commarin open to visitors?
Château de Commarin is currently closed to visitors.