Château de Villemolin
Encyclopedia
The Château de Villemolin is a castle
in the commune
of Anthien
in the Nièvre
département of France.
The castle is located in the Morvan
massif
but not within the Parc naturel régional du Morvan. It is, nevertheless, sited less than 2 km away on a hill facing it.
villa
, the Villa Molini, and remodelled and modernised in the 17th and 19th centuries in the shape of a horseshoe. It is flanked by three towers. The castle is surrounded by significant outbuildings from the 15th, 17th and 19th centuries.
In the neo-Gothic
chapel (constructed 1830 and remodelled under the Second Empire
) is a 15th century Pietà
painted on wood, a gift from the Carthusian
s of Val-Saint-Georges.
Property of the La Corcelle family (15th century), the castle and lands of Villemolin have passed successively by marriage to the Champignolle and de Bascoing families.
The marriage in 1538 of Barbe de Bascoing, heir of Villemolin, to Etienne de Certaines, brought Villemolin into the heritage of the Certaines (known in Nivernais
since 1296 and holding fiefs, among others, near Cervon
) who still occupy it.
The Château de Villemolin is privately owned with public access. On 16 June 1978, the French Ministry of Culture added the chapel to the inventory of monuments historiques
. The castle itself, the outbuildings and the remainder of the site were added on 9 April 2002.
directed by Bruno Podalydès.
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 Anthien
Anthien
Anthien is a commune in the Nièvre département in central France.-Demographics:At the 1999 census, the population was 168. On 1 January 2004, the estimate was 172.-Sites monuments:...
in the Nièvre
Nièvre
Nièvre is a department in the centre of France named after the Nièvre River.-History:Nièvre is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
département of France.
The castle is located in the Morvan
Morvan
The Morvan is a mountainous massif lying just to the west of the Côte d'Or escarpment in Burgundy, France. It is a northerly extension of the Massif Central and is of Variscan age. It is composed of granites and basalts and formed a promontory extending northwards into the Jurassic sea.-Music:The...
massif
Massif
In geology, a massif is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole...
but not within the Parc naturel régional du Morvan. It is, nevertheless, sited less than 2 km away on a hill facing it.
Architecture
The castle was built in the 14th century on the site of a Gallo-RomanGallo-Roman culture
The term Gallo-Roman describes the Romanized culture of Gaul under the rule of the Roman Empire. This was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman mores and way of life in a uniquely Gaulish context...
villa
Villa
A villa was originally an ancient Roman upper-class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became small farming compounds, which were increasingly fortified in Late Antiquity,...
, the Villa Molini, and remodelled and modernised in the 17th and 19th centuries in the shape of a horseshoe. It is flanked by three towers. The castle is surrounded by significant outbuildings from the 15th, 17th and 19th centuries.
In the neo-Gothic
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
chapel (constructed 1830 and remodelled under the Second Empire
Second French Empire
The Second French Empire or French Empire was the Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 1852 to 1870, between the Second Republic and the Third Republic, in France.-Rule of Napoleon III:...
) is a 15th century Pietà
Pietà
The Pietà is a subject in Christian art depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus, most often found in sculpture. As such, it is a particular form of the Lamentation of Christ, a scene from the Passion of Christ found in cycles of the Life of Christ...
painted on wood, a gift from the Carthusian
Carthusian
The Carthusian Order, also called the Order of St. Bruno, is a Roman Catholic religious order of enclosed monastics. The order was founded by Saint Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns...
s of Val-Saint-Georges.
Ownership
Throughout its documented history (since the first half of the 15th century), the castle has always been passed down by inheritance and has never been sold.Property of the La Corcelle family (15th century), the castle and lands of Villemolin have passed successively by marriage to the Champignolle and de Bascoing families.
The marriage in 1538 of Barbe de Bascoing, heir of Villemolin, to Etienne de Certaines, brought Villemolin into the heritage of the Certaines (known in Nivernais
Nivernais
Nivernais is former province of France, around the city of Nevers and the département of Nièvre.The raw climate and soils cause the area to be heavily wooded.- References :* Chamber's Encyclopedia Volume 10 page 50...
since 1296 and holding fiefs, among others, near Cervon
Cervon
Cervon is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France.-Demographics:At the 1999 census, the population was 661. On 1 January 2006, the estimate was 608.-References:*...
) who still occupy it.
The Château de Villemolin is privately owned with public access. On 16 June 1978, the French Ministry of Culture added the chapel to the inventory of monuments historiques
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...
. The castle itself, the outbuildings and the remainder of the site were added on 9 April 2002.
Cinema
In 2002, the castle and its site were used in the films Le Mystère de la chambre jaune and Le Parfum de la dame en noirLe Parfum de la dame en noir
Le Parfum de la dame en noir may refer to several French films:* Le Parfum de la dame en noir * Le Parfum de la dame en noir * Le Parfum de la dame en noir...
directed by Bruno Podalydès.