Château du Sou
Encyclopedia
The Château du Sou, situated at the bottom of the Morgon valley, is a converted castle
in the commune
of Lacenas
, west of Villefranche-sur-Saône
, in the Rhône
département of France.
It is privately owned. It is available for receptions, weddings, themed events etc.
in 1369. He married Artaude de Charnay; their son Jean married Agnès Vert, dame de Valprivas, but died without issue and the succession passed to their nephew, Jocerand. He was a squire
of the Lord of Beaujel to whom he gave homage for Sou in 1475, as did his nephew and successor Antoine in 1506. Antoine married his cousin Jeanne de Saint-Romain, dame de Valorges; their son Louis married Jacqueline de Salemard.
In 1539, Louis de Thélis sold the castle to Claude de Gaspard. In the 16th century, one of the descendants, Jean, Lieutenant-General of the Bailiwick
of Beaujolais, married Claudine de Tenay. Claude, lord of Sou, married Marguerite de la Porte in 1577; he was a counsellor to the King and General Receiver of Taxes in the Généralité
of Lyon
. In the 17th century, Marc, lord of Sou, married Sibylle de Saint-Amour around 1690 and gave the castle to his brother Joseph Marie, a superior priest at the seminary of Orléans
in 1766; the latter gave the property to his cousin Mignot de Bussy in 1767.
His son, Aimé Antoine, Count of Sou, emigrated during the French Revolution
and the château was sold as a national property. It is now owned by several proprietors who share the estate.
, dotted with towers, forms an almost perfect square. There remain some traces of moat
s and the drawbridge
. The keep
has three upper storeys as well as the ground floor.
A Gothic
chapel contains sculptures, including two angel heads.
On the northern side, the fortified gateway is decorated with 13 blazon
s or coats of arms: at the top is the blazon of the Gaspards, to the left are six more of the same and, to the right, six other blazons relating to their wives. During the Revolution, these blazons were damaged by hammer blows. The fortified gateway was been listed on 21 February 1933 as a monument historique
by the French Ministry of Culture.
situated at the entrance to the lane leading to the château is fed by the fountain.
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 Lacenas
Lacenas
Lacenas is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France....
, west of Villefranche-sur-Saône
Villefranche-sur-Saône
Villefranche-sur-Saône is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France.It lies 1 mile west of the Saône River, and is around north of Lyon...
, in the Rhône
Rhône (département)
Rhône is a French department located in the central Eastern region of Rhône-Alpes. It is named after the Rhône River.- History :The Rhône department was created on August 12, 1793 when the former département of Rhône-et-Loire was split into two departments: Rhône and Loire.Originally, the eastern...
département of France.
It is privately owned. It is available for receptions, weddings, themed events etc.
History
It was probably Jean de Thélis-L'Espinasse who built the castle. He became Governor and Lieutenant-General of BeaujolaisBeaujolais (province)
Beaujolais is a historical province and a wine-producing region in France. It is located north of Lyon, and covers parts of the north of the Rhône département and parts of the south of the Saône-et-Loire département...
in 1369. He married Artaude de Charnay; their son Jean married Agnès Vert, dame de Valprivas, but died without issue and the succession passed to their nephew, Jocerand. He was a squire
Squire
The English word squire is a shortened version of the word Esquire, from the Old French , itself derived from the Late Latin , in medieval or Old English a scutifer. The Classical Latin equivalent was , "arms bearer"...
of the Lord of Beaujel to whom he gave homage for Sou in 1475, as did his nephew and successor Antoine in 1506. Antoine married his cousin Jeanne de Saint-Romain, dame de Valorges; their son Louis married Jacqueline de Salemard.
In 1539, Louis de Thélis sold the castle to Claude de Gaspard. In the 16th century, one of the descendants, Jean, Lieutenant-General of the Bailiwick
Bailiwick
A bailiwick is usually the area of jurisdiction of a bailiff, and may also apply to a territory in which the sheriff's functions were exercised by a privately appointed bailiff under a royal or imperial writ. The word is now more generally used in a metaphorical sense, to indicate a sphere of...
of Beaujolais, married Claudine de Tenay. Claude, lord of Sou, married Marguerite de la Porte in 1577; he was a counsellor to the King and General Receiver of Taxes in the Généralité
Généralité
Recettes générales, commonly known as généralités , were the administrative divisions of France under the Ancien Régime and are often considered to prefigure the current préfectures...
of Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
. In the 17th century, Marc, lord of Sou, married Sibylle de Saint-Amour around 1690 and gave the castle to his brother Joseph Marie, a superior priest at the seminary of Orléans
Orléans
-Prehistory and Roman:Cenabum was a Gallic stronghold, one of the principal towns of the Carnutes tribe where the Druids held their annual assembly. It was conquered and destroyed by Julius Caesar in 52 BC, then rebuilt under the Roman Empire...
in 1766; the latter gave the property to his cousin Mignot de Bussy in 1767.
His son, Aimé Antoine, Count of Sou, emigrated during the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
and the château was sold as a national property. It is now owned by several proprietors who share the estate.
Architecture
Construction work, in the golden stone of the region, dates from approximately 1369. The fortified enceinteEnceinte
Enceinte , is a French term used technically in fortification for the inner ring of fortifications surrounding a town or a concentric castle....
, dotted with towers, forms an almost perfect square. There remain some traces of moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
s and the drawbridge
Drawbridge
A drawbridge is a type of movable bridge typically associated with the entrance of a castle surrounded by a moat. The term is often used to describe all different types of movable bridges, like bascule bridges and lift bridges.-Castle drawbridges:...
. The keep
Keep
A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word keep, but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residences, used as a refuge of last resort should the rest of the...
has three upper storeys as well as the ground floor.
A Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
chapel contains sculptures, including two angel heads.
On the northern side, the fortified gateway is decorated with 13 blazon
Blazon
In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image...
s or coats of arms: at the top is the blazon of the Gaspards, to the left are six more of the same and, to the right, six other blazons relating to their wives. During the Revolution, these blazons were damaged by hammer blows. The fortified gateway was been listed on 21 February 1933 as a 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.
Park and gardens
A park, including a medieval garden, surrounds the château. The public lavoirLavoir
A Lavoir is a public place in France set aside for the washing of clothes. They are commonly sited on a spring or beside or set over a river. Many Lavoirs are provided with roofs for shelter...
situated at the entrance to the lane leading to the château is fed by the fountain.