About a month ago now we went on a lovely adventure with our expat friends Michele and Veli-Matti to four different castles south of Dijon. The views were astounding and the company amazing so all-in-all it was quite a day that I will have memories of for a long time to come. Photos are limited mostly to the exterior as photography was not allowed in most of the castle rooms.
The first stop was at Château de la Rochepot, a 12th century castle originally owned by the Pot family. It was abandoned after some time but then the Carnot family decided to buy it for their son. I imagine it went something like this:
Father: "Hey son, whaddup, we bought you an entire stinkin' castle, no biggie."
Son: "Ugh, geeze you practically bought me ruins. That kid down the street François VII's dad built him an entire castle and bought him a 13 year old virgin wife, but whatever I guess I'll restore it. Thanks for nothing."
The first stop was at Château de la Rochepot, a 12th century castle originally owned by the Pot family. It was abandoned after some time but then the Carnot family decided to buy it for their son. I imagine it went something like this:
Father: "Hey son, whaddup, we bought you an entire stinkin' castle, no biggie."
Son: "Ugh, geeze you practically bought me ruins. That kid down the street François VII's dad built him an entire castle and bought him a 13 year old virgin wife, but whatever I guess I'll restore it. Thanks for nothing."
d After that we went to visit Château de Sully, the largest Renaissance château in southern Burgundy. Originally of the Morey family, it became inherited by the MacMahon family when Charlotte de Morey's cousin/husband became ill with not much more than a common cold. Unfortunately, colds could be serious business back then and the travelling doctor could not get there in time. Monsieur Morey sadly left this world and his young cousin/wife behind before he could father any heirs. Not to worry though, because the doctor who couldn't get there in time, Dr. MacMahon, generously married the young widow, thus obtaining the castle. Hmmm.
This castle is still inhabited by the family though it is in a little bit of a limbo as the past duke who seemed to take most care of the grounds has passed and the current duke is in university. That's right, ladies, there is a single duke of marriageable age who has his own castle, get on it*.
* The author of The Inexperienced Expat will not be held liable for any stalking or further suspicious/illegal activities that may occur due to the knowledge given in this article.
This castle is still inhabited by the family though it is in a little bit of a limbo as the past duke who seemed to take most care of the grounds has passed and the current duke is in university. That's right, ladies, there is a single duke of marriageable age who has his own castle, get on it*.
* The author of The Inexperienced Expat will not be held liable for any stalking or further suspicious/illegal activities that may occur due to the knowledge given in this article.
The third castle was, as Bob Ross says, a happy accident. We were headed to our final castle when we looked out the window and spotted another castle in the distance. We decided to try it out and ended up in an adorable town called Châteauneuf giving the castle the oh-so-original name of Château de Châteauneuf. The Château de Châteauneuf has an interesting history as it's been passed around more than the collection plate at a church. It started out belonging to the Chaudenay family in the 12th century but after 9 generations in 1456 Catherine of Chateauneuf messed it all up by being burnt alive for poisoning her husband.
In 1457 the duke of Burgundy bought the castle as a gift for his adviser, Philippe Pot. Yes, the Philippe Pot from the first castle we saw. His heirless death ensured that the castle got passed around a few more times before ending up in the hands of the Comarrin family where it remained for 150 years. It was passed around a few more times and gravely defaced during the French Revolution before it ended up being donated to the state where it and its neighboring village were declared protected historical monuments.
From here on out I don't have many pictures as my camera died.
In 1457 the duke of Burgundy bought the castle as a gift for his adviser, Philippe Pot. Yes, the Philippe Pot from the first castle we saw. His heirless death ensured that the castle got passed around a few more times before ending up in the hands of the Comarrin family where it remained for 150 years. It was passed around a few more times and gravely defaced during the French Revolution before it ended up being donated to the state where it and its neighboring village were declared protected historical monuments.
From here on out I don't have many pictures as my camera died.
The last castle of the day was Château de Comarrin as in the Comarrin family who also owned the previous castle for 150 years. This castle was built in the 12th century as well and has been in the same family the entire duration, through 26 generations. This was probably my favorite castle as it was very well taken care of, had amazing tapestries and needlework, sculptures, and alchemic symbolism. We also got to see the duke and his family enjoying the weather outdoors and got to witness a classic car photo shoot too. Though if you know me well, then you'll know that my favorite part of the whole thing was feeding the carp who live in the moat.
Check out Michele's post about that day, too! She also has tons of pictures as well!
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