Chateau de Boutavent

Cluny's considerable land holdings were made up of sites with a wide variety of statuses: the Château de Boutavent is one of these defunct sites.

Cluny's considerable land holdings were made up of sites with a wide variety of statuses: the Château de Boutavent is one of the key defensive sites in the Clunisois territory, bearing witness to the abbot's seigneurial prerogatives. Although Cluny and its surrounding lands benefited from an extraordinary legal status that placed them under the authority of Saint Peter and his representative here below, the Pope, they were not immune to territorial challenges that required the monks to be protected by arms. Boutavent reminds us of this!

Standing at the end of a rocky spur, it dominates the Grosne valley, to the north of which it gives access. It was probably built in the first half of the 12th century by the Gros d'Uxelles, Sires of Brancion, on the march of their fiefdom. In 1237, Josserand IV de Brancion ceded the fortress of Boutavent (castrum nostrum de Bonteavant) and its castellany to the Abbey of Cluny. From the 14th to the 16th century, the castle was taken several times before being definitively disarmed and reaffirmed as an agricultural estate. In the 18th century, major restoration work was carried out in the countryside, particularly in terms of landscaping. In 1867, the entire estate was acquired by the Count of Audiffred, who modernised it and turned it into a holiday resort.