Château de Sales
Encyclopedia
The Château de Sales is a ruined castle
in the commune
of Thorens-Glières
in the Haute-Savoie
département of France
. It is often confused with the nearby Château de Thorens
.
The Château de Sales is known to have existed before 1249 and was remodelled in the 15th and 16th centuries. It was destroyed in 1630 on the orders of Louis XIII, during his invasion of Savoy
. This was in reprisal for the resistance of Louis Sales, younger brother of Saint Francis de Sales
, captain-governor of the Château d'Annecy
. The latter had refused to surrender the Annecy
castle to the King's troops, commanded by Gaspard III de Coligny, Maréchal de Châtillon.
In 1672, three nephews of Louis Sales, including Monseigneur Charles-Auguste de Sales, Prince-bishop of Geneva
, built a chapel on the ruins of the Château de Sales, on the precise location of the room where Saint François de Sales had been born. In the 19th century, it was restored by the architect Ruphy for count François de Roussy de Sales (1860-1943). A cellar was added in which were laid the ashes of his ancestors, until then buried in the church at Thorens (Saint Sébastien chapel).
This chapel has since been the necropolis
of the Roussy de Sales family. The last count of Thorens, Jean-François de Roussy de Sales (1928-1999), grandson of count François, is buried there with the greater part of his ancestors.
The site has been classified as monument historique
by the French Ministry of Culture since 1982. Visible today are the 13th century Round Tower, the postern and a square tower from the 16th century and the residence, built in the 16th century and enlarged in the 19th. Opposite the chapel, a cross shows visitors where Francis de Sales was supposedly inspired by god to create the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary
.
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
in the commune
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
of Thorens-Glières
Thorens-Glières
Thorens-Glières is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France, and is the birthplace of St. Francis de Sales.-References:*...
in the Haute-Savoie
Haute-Savoie
Haute-Savoie is a French department in the Rhône-Alpes region of eastern France. It borders both Switzerland and Italy. The capital is Annecy. To the north is Lake Geneva and Switzerland; to the south and southeast are the Mont Blanc and Aravis mountain ranges and the French entrance to the Mont...
département of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It is often confused with the nearby Château de Thorens
Château de Thorens
The Château de Thorens is a castle in the commune of Thorens-Glières in the Haute-Savoie département of France. It is accessible from the north-east of Annecy by a road of about 20 km, going up to the plateau of Glières...
.
History
The Château de Sales was the home of the Sales family in Thorens until the beginning of the 17th century, when they built and moved to the Château de Thorens, a few hundred metres away, where they still reside.The Château de Sales is known to have existed before 1249 and was remodelled in the 15th and 16th centuries. It was destroyed in 1630 on the orders of Louis XIII, during his invasion of Savoy
Savoy
Savoy is a region of France. It comprises roughly the territory of the Western Alps situated between Lake Geneva in the north and Monaco and the Mediterranean coast in the south....
. This was in reprisal for the resistance of Louis Sales, younger brother of Saint Francis de Sales
Francis de Sales
Francis de Sales was Bishop of Geneva and is a Roman Catholic saint. He worked to convert Protestants back to Catholicism, and was an accomplished preacher...
, captain-governor of the Château d'Annecy
Château d'Annecy
The Château d'Annecy is a restored castle which dominates the old French town of Annecy in the Haute-Savoie département. It was bought by the town, restored and transformed into a museum, le musée-château d'Annecy. The castle is listed as a monument historique by the French Ministry of...
. The latter had refused to surrender the Annecy
Annecy
Annecy is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.It lies on the northern tip of Lake Annecy , 35 kilometres south of Geneva.-Administration:...
castle to the King's troops, commanded by Gaspard III de Coligny, Maréchal de Châtillon.
In 1672, three nephews of Louis Sales, including Monseigneur Charles-Auguste de Sales, Prince-bishop of Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, built a chapel on the ruins of the Château de Sales, on the precise location of the room where Saint François de Sales had been born. In the 19th century, it was restored by the architect Ruphy for count François de Roussy de Sales (1860-1943). A cellar was added in which were laid the ashes of his ancestors, until then buried in the church at Thorens (Saint Sébastien chapel).
This chapel has since been the necropolis
Necropolis
A necropolis is a large cemetery or burial ground, usually including structural tombs. The word comes from the Greek νεκρόπολις - nekropolis, literally meaning "city of the dead"...
of the Roussy de Sales family. The last count of Thorens, Jean-François de Roussy de Sales (1928-1999), grandson of count François, is buried there with the greater part of his ancestors.
The site has been classified as monument historique
Monument historique
A monument historique is a National Heritage Site of France. It also refers to a state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building or a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, or gardens, bridges, and other structures, because of their...
by the French Ministry of Culture since 1982. Visible today are the 13th century Round Tower, the postern and a square tower from the 16th century and the residence, built in the 16th century and enlarged in the 19th. Opposite the chapel, a cross shows visitors where Francis de Sales was supposedly inspired by god to create the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary
Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary
The Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary or the Visitation Order is a Roman Catholic religious order for women. Members of the order are also known as Filles de Sainte-Marie, Visitandines, Salesian Sisters and, more commonly, Visitationists.- History of the order :The Order was founded in 1610 by...
.
External links
Sources
- www.culture.gouv.fr, accessed 27 Feb 2007